Russian diplomat warns that risk of nuclear confrontation between US, Russia ‘steadily growing'

New Delhi: The possibility of a direct military conflict between Russia and the United States is gradually increasing, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying on Tuesday by TASS.

According to Vladimir Yermakov, the Russian foreign ministry’s head of nuclear non-proliferation, Washington is raising the risks through its conduct with Moscow.

Yermakov said, according to Reuters, “If the United States continues to follow its current course of confrontation with Russia, with the stakes constantly escalating on the verge of sliding into direct armed conflict, then the fate of START (nuclear arms treaty) may be a foregone conclusion.”

Following Moscow’s unwillingness to exchange data on its nuclear capabilities, the United States informed Russia in March that it would halt exchanging some data on its nuclear forces, citing this as a response to Russia’s suspension of participation in the New START treaty.

Yermakov in the interview to TASS did not provide information about the supposed hostile posture of the United States.

Yermakov said, according to Reuters, “The most acute threat today is associated … with the danger of nuclear escalation as a result of a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers.”

He added, “And these risks, to the deepest regret, are steadily growing.”

Moscow and Beijing will evaluate any prospective Western engagement in the US anti-missile system’s global expansion, which “clearly undermines strategic stability,” he added.

With inputs from agencies

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