Ryabkov assessed cooperation on nuclear disarmament with countries unfriendly to Russian Federation

Further cooperation in the field of nuclear disarmament with states unfriendly to Russia has become politically unacceptable. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on December 11.

"Today, however, this agreement and its protocol have completely outlived their usefulness. Further cooperation in the field of nuclear disarmament with states that pursue an anti-Russian policy, act very aggressively, and supply weapons to our enemies has become not only irrelevant, but also politically unacceptable," Ryabkov said at a plenary session of the State Duma.

He also noted that Russia cannot afford to depend on hostile countries in any areas, including nuclear and radiation safety.

Strengthening the document: How Russia's nuclear doctrine has changed

Why Ukraine is betting on escalation and what happened in the Bryansk region

The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was not tightening its nuclear doctrine, but improving it. He added that the country now needs to improve the Oreshnik missile system. The head of state also noted that a sufficient number of modern weapons systems practically replace the use of nuclear weapons.

Before that, on November 30, Ryabkov said that the danger of a nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia exists, but Moscow will do everything possible to avoid it. According to him, the current geopolitical situation is characterized as extremely complicated and tense.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 21 that Russia was making every effort to prevent a nuclear exchange with the United States. The Russian presidential spokesman expressed hope that other countries have the same position and will not engage in provocative actions.

On November 19, Putin approved Russia's updated nuclear doctrine. The updated document includes the amendments that the head of state announced in September. In particular, for the first time a definition of a potential adversary against whom Russia is conducting nuclear deterrence was introduced.