Russia to Begin Nuclear Tests: Conditions Outlined by Ryabkov

Geneva, March 2 – Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a press briefing in Geneva that if the United States does not resume nuclear tests, then Russia will not start them either, but one must be prepared for the worst.

“As Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his speech to the Federal Assembly, we must be ready to follow their example in case the United States decides to resume nuclear testing. The key word here is ‘if’: if the United States does, we will not start testing, we will not start,” Ryabkov said. But we have to be prepared for the worst.”

Earlier, President Putin said, in a message to the Federal Assembly, that Russia is suspending its participation in the Russian-American Treaty on Strategic Arms Reduction, stressing that his country is not withdrawing from the treaty. He noted that before returning to the discussion, “we must understand for ourselves what countries like France and Great Britain are still claiming, and how we will take into account their strategic arsenals, that is, the joint strike potential of the (North Atlantic) alliance.”

Putin also said that the United States is developing new types of nuclear weapons, and Washington is considering the possibility of testing nuclear weapons. In this regard, Putin instructed the Russian Ministry of Defense and Rosatom to ensure readiness to test Russian nuclear weapons in the event that the tests were conducted by the Americans first.