Russia says danger of direct armed clash between nuclear powers 'cannot be underestimated'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Thursday warned that the danger of a direct armed clash between nuclear powers “cannot be underestimated.”

"Now the danger of a direct armed clash between nuclear powers cannot be underestimated. What is happening has no analogues in the past. We are moving through unexplored military and political territory. And our opponents simply cannot have the right to make mistakes," he said at a news conference in Moscow.

Ryabkov noted that "the price of this mistake could be a catastrophe," arguing that "no one should have any doubts" that Russia is acting "confidently and absolutely unmistakably."

"The question is whether people on the other side can sensibly assess the consequences of their course," he added.

Responding to the US call on Russia to engage in a dialogue on strategic stability, the Russian deputy foreign minister said the goal of such initiatives was "to cement unilateral military advantages."

"The Americans need restrictions on the nuclear arsenal of the Russian Federation while simultaneously excluding the nuclear weapons of their European allies, as well as, of course, the cumulative advantage of the West in the field of non-nuclear capabilities," he stressed.

He said the US is trying to present itself as a "responsible nuclear power" by declaring such initiatives, although Washington undermined the global security architecture by withdrawing from most important agreements on the matter – the Anti-Ballistic Missile, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, and Open Skies treaties.

"This is a sly formula, which hides the desire to take only what is convenient for the American side, and leave the rest 'overboard'," he said.

Until the US revises its "hostile course" undermining Russia's security and inflicting on it "strategic defeat," dialogue with Washington on such matters, including nuclear arms control, simply does not make sense for Moscow, he said.

Turning to the situation in Ukraine, Ryabkov said Russia remains open to peace talks, however, sees no opportunities to engage in direct negotiations with Kyiv due to its position.