The day before, Marshall Billingslea, US special presidential envoy for arms control, said that Washington is offering Moscow to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) for less than five years in order to hammer out a new multilateral document as soon as possible.
Russia will find effective ways to protect itself if no agreement is reached with the United States on extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said, stressing that Russia hopes for prolongation of the deal.
Russia’s UN envoy expressed the belief that Washington’s intention to dismantle the entire system of arms control agreements (the country withdrew from the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, accusing Russia of violating the bilateral deal) could be explained by its desire to use force absolutely freely.
Russia keeps actively opposing these attempts, including within the UN, and remains open to a constructive dialogue aimed at maintaining and strengthening the global security architecture, the high-ranking official assured.
Russia’s envoy to the international organisation expressed hope that Russia’s approach would be supported unanimously at this year’s UNGA session as well, noting that global demand for support to arms control deals was now “higher than ever.”
US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea told Russian newspaper Kommersant that the New START, which is the only remaining Russian-US arms control deal in force, will not be extended if Washington and Moscow fail to conclude a relevant presidential memorandum by February.
If Russia opposes the memorandum, the US will be happy to keep modernising its nuclear arsenal without limitations imposed by the New START, Billingslea also noted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the US to extend the crucial arms control deal, which expires in February, by five years with no preliminary conditions. Meanwhile, the US administration keeps insisting on getting China involved in the talks in a bid to secure a new trilateral nuclear agreement.
On Western Private Military Companies in Libya
Russia is aware that some Western servicemen and private military companies, engaged in recruiting mercenaries and sending them to Libya, are now present in the North African country, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told Sputnik in an interview.
“So, we would recommend our Western colleagues to stop the hypocrisy and the anti-Russia media campaign, and to the UN group of experts to have a professional and unbiased approach to their job,” Nebenzia added.
Claims about Russian mercenaries allegedly present in Libya, which can be found in reports by experts of the United Nations Security Council’s Libya sanctions committee, are obviously just plants, based on unverified fabricated data and aimed at discrediting Moscow.
Western media outlets have repeatedly released news pieces about confidential expert reports claiming that staffers of Russia’s Wagner Group and other paramilitary organizations are present in Libya for supporting forces of Khalifa Haftar.
Moscow has no doubt that some anonymous sources that the experts cite are in fact from the West, the UN envoy added.
Western media outlets have repeatedly released news pieces about confidential UN expert reports claiming that staffers of Russia’s Wagner Group and other paramilitary organisations are present in Libya for supporting forces of Khalifa Haftar.
Nebenzia noted that Western citizens were also mentioned in the reports, but “Western colleagues keep sidestepping it.”
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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