Kremlin:

Russia Not Going to Engage in Arms Race

TEHRAN (defapress)- Russia's development of new weapons was nothing but a response to the US withdrawal from the ABM treaty, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

News ID: 68944

Date: 02 March 2018 - 20:16

Putin has stressed that his speech could not be considered a beginning of the arms race as it is a retaliatory response to the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty), as well as to the process of creating a global system of missile defense, according to the spokesman, Sputnik reported.

"This is nothing else than Russia’s response to the scrapping of the ABM Treaty, the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and to the highly active process of creating a global missile defense system, which in the long term was able to break strategic parity, nuclear parity and, in fact, neutralize the strategic forces of Russia," Peskov added.

"The deterrent element of the nuclear triad, in terms of international stability and security, is well known and accepted by all," the spokesman noted.

Russia has been and still is a country that is seeking mutually favorable cooperation with all other states, based on mutual respect and trust, Peskov noted.

"It is incorrect to comprehend (Putin’s Thursday’s address to the parliament) as some militarist statements … I am calling on you to draw attention to the main thought in the address. It is the idea, which the president had voiced at the very beginning (of the address). In this case, Russia’s aim is to make this push before it is late. We have everything, which is needed for this," Peskov stated.

According to Peskov, the statements, made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address are not going to increase the isolation of Russia on the international arena.

"It is a wrong and exaggerated perception of the president's point of view, which he outlined in his address. He also in fact gave an explanation of this point of view in a night interview, which he gave to NBC [broadcaster]," Peskov said while answering the question on whether Putin’s address to the upper house and possible contacts with North Korea may increase Moscow’s isolation in the world arena.

The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented new weapons systems during his annual address to the parliament. Particularly, Putin said that Russia had created and started mass production of the hypersonic weapon Avangard, which is able of carrying out intercontinental flights at the hypersonic speed of Mach 20 and higher.

Putin also provided the details about a state-of-art Russian missile system with the heavy intercontinental missile Sarmat, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, including the hypersonic ones.

According to Peskov, Russia is not going to attack anyone, its new weapons do not threaten those who do not plan to attack it.

"I have not seen, frankly, the map of Florida, so I do not see any reason to say that there really were some US maps used there. No maps were used there, just some outlines, there is no link to any particular country," Peskov told reporters.

"And once again I repeat, and the president said this: Russia is not going to attack anyone, and these weapons do not pose a threat to those who do not have plans to attack our country," he said.