FM: Russia’s security rests on its armed forces as New START lapses

The expiration of the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) underscores that Russia’s principal allies are its army, navy and Aerospace Forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the NTV television channel.

Addressing the issue, Lavrov said the current situation only reinforces this conclusion. He stressed that regardless of what international agreements are concluded in the fields of strategic stability, arms control or security, and irrespective of who they are signed with, Russia’s core and permanent allies remain its own armed forces.

“We see the situation as it really is. It once again confirms that no matter what international agreements exist in the field of security, and regardless of with whom such agreements are signed, our main allies remain the army, the navy and now the Aerospace Forces,” Lavrov said.

According to the foreign minister, Russia’s armed forces provide a fully reliable guarantee of the country’s security. He added that the fundamentals of nuclear deterrence remain unchanged, warning that any attempt at aggression or at undermining Russia’s sovereignty would provoke a response that would be unacceptable to a potential adversary.

Lavrov referred to a well-known remark by Emperor Alexander III about Russia’s main allies while answering a question on dialogue with the United States regarding strategic weapons. He emphasised that Moscow will primarily rely on the combat readiness of its armed forces. He also said that the foundations of nuclear deterrence lie in the condition of Russia’s strategic weapons and the readiness of the country’s leadership to deliver an “absolutely unacceptable response” if sovereignty is threatened.

The foreign minister also cautioned against dramatising the expiration of New START, noting that the treaty had, in practice, not been functioning for the past three years.

New START expired on February 5, leaving Moscow and Washington, for the first time in decades, without any active agreements limiting their strategic offensive weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is prepared to continue observing the limits set out in the treaty for another year, but stressed that this would only be viable if the United States took the same step.

US President Donald Trump, for his part, has advocated drafting a new and improved version of the New START treaty rather than extending the existing agreement.

By Tamilla Hasanova