2 New Messages
Digest #4729
Messages
Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:47 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.ria.ru/russia/201306
Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 19, 2013
Russia Skeptical Over Obama’s New Nuclear Reduction Proposal
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"How can we take seriously this idea about cuts in strategic nuclear potential while the United States is developing its capabilities to intercept Russia's nuclear potential?”
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MOSCOW: Russian officials on Wednesday expressed doubts over new nuclear arms reductions proposed by US President Barack Obama in light of US global missile defense plans and attempts by other counties to boost their nuclear arsenals.
Obama said in a speech in Berlin earlier Wednesday that he would negotiate to cut another one-third of US and Russian nuclear arsenals and seek “bold reductions in US and Russian tactical weapons in Europe.”
Shortly before Obama’s speech, Yury Ushakov, senior foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the Kremlin had been informed in general about the new US proposal but reiterated Russia’s position that other nuclear powers would have to make steps on further nuclear arms reduction in order for Obama’s plan to work.
“The situation now is not like in the 1960s and 1970s, when only the United States and the Soviet Union held talks on reducing nuclear arms,” Ushakov told reports in Moscow.
"Now we need to look more broadly and expand the circle of participants in possible contacts on this matter," he said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was even more brazen in his response, saying Russia could not “take seriously” Obama's nuclear cuts proposal while the United State was developing its missile defense system.
"How can we take seriously this idea about cuts in strategic nuclear potential while the United States is developing its capabilities to intercept Russia's nuclear potential,” Rogozin told reporters in St. Petersburg.
Rogozin, who oversees Russia’s defense industry, said an arms race involves both offensive and defensive weapons in a vicious circle.
“To show the lack of understanding of this [by proposing further nuclear cuts] – means either openly lying, bluffing and deceiving, or demonstrating a deep lack of professionalism,” Rogozin said.
Russian independent military experts on Wednesday also described Obama’s initiative as “unrealistic” saying it could potentially destroy the existing nuclear parity and ultimately hurt Russia’s national security interests.
==============================
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Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 19, 2013
Russia Skeptical Over Obama’s New Nuclear Reduction Proposal
====
"How can we take seriously this idea about cuts in strategic nuclear potential while the United States is developing its capabilities to intercept Russia's nuclear potential?”
====
MOSCOW: Russian officials on Wednesday expressed doubts over new nuclear arms reductions proposed by US President Barack Obama in light of US global missile defense plans and attempts by other counties to boost their nuclear arsenals.
Obama said in a speech in Berlin earlier Wednesday that he would negotiate to cut another one-third of US and Russian nuclear arsenals and seek “bold reductions in US and Russian tactical weapons in Europe.”
Shortly before Obama’s speech, Yury Ushakov, senior foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the Kremlin had been informed in general about the new US proposal but reiterated Russia’s position that other nuclear powers would have to make steps on further nuclear arms reduction in order for Obama’s plan to work.
“The situation now is not like in the 1960s and 1970s, when only the United States and the Soviet Union held talks on reducing nuclear arms,” Ushakov told reports in Moscow.
"Now we need to look more broadly and expand the circle of participants in possible contacts on this matter," he said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was even more brazen in his response, saying Russia could not “take seriously” Obama's nuclear cuts proposal while the United State was developing its missile defense system.
"How can we take seriously this idea about cuts in strategic nuclear potential while the United States is developing its capabilities to intercept Russia's nuclear potential,” Rogozin told reporters in St. Petersburg.
Rogozin, who oversees Russia’s defense industry, said an arms race involves both offensive and defensive weapons in a vicious circle.
“To show the lack of understanding of this [by proposing further nuclear cuts] – means either openly lying, bluffing and deceiving, or demonstrating a deep lack of professionalism,” Rogozin said.
Russian independent military experts on Wednesday also described Obama’s initiative as “unrealistic” saying it could potentially destroy the existing nuclear parity and ultimately hurt Russia’s national security interests.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:01 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
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"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects...
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http://en.rian.ru/world/201306
Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 20, 2013
Moscow Links More Nuclear Cuts to Missile Defense - Minister
ST. PETERSBURG: Russia-US strategic nuclear arms cuts cannot be pursued without also addressing missile defense systems, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
Strategic stability is affected by the role of defense systems, in particular “the US plans to build non-nuclear weapons” which will be “far more effective than the existing strategic nuclear arms,” he said in an interview with Rossia-24 TV.
Further cuts in nuclear weapons can only be discussed in a multilateral, not bilateral format, with the participation of other nuclear powers, Lavrov said.
In a wide-ranging speech Wednesday in Berlin, US President Barack Obama said he has concluded after “a comprehensive review,” that the United States can cut its deployed strategic nuclear weapons by one-third while still ensuring the nation’s security. “And I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures,” Obama said.
Lavrov also said the US review of its missile defense program for Europe does not address Russia’s concerns because “the system remains global” and its components “are being deployed along the perimeter of our borders.”
Russia and NATO formally agreed to cooperate over the European missile defense system at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, but talks foundered, in part over Russian demands for legal guarantees that the system would not undermine its strategic nuclear deterrent. In mid-March, the US announced that it was modifying its planned missile defense deployment to Poland, dropping plans to station SM-3 IIB interceptors in the country by 2022.
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http://www.interfax.com/
Interfax
June 20, 2013
Russia to take time to thoroughly analyze Obama's arms cuts proposal - diplomat
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"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects...
====
MOSCOW: Russia will thoroughly examine U.S. President Barack Obama's proposals on more radical cuts of nuclear weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"We will coordinate our reasons with our objectives in ensuring our national security and strengthening peace. Analysis will be interdepartmental and will take some time," Ryabkov said in an interview published in Kommersant on Thursday.
Asked what factors Moscow will take into account in making its decision, Ryabkov pointed out that "the notion of strategic stability today significantly differs from concepts that existed in the past."
"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects, and refusal of a number of countries to take part in key arms control agreements, he said.
"Without taking all these circumstances into account, it is wrong to talk only about the role of nuclear weapons as a factor affecting strategic stability," he said.
Some media outlets reported that the U.S. expects a reply from Moscow before a Russian-U.S. summit in Moscow in September.
Obama proposed on Wednesday that the U.S. and Russia further reduce their strategic nuclear weapons.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov suggested on Thursday that other countries possessing nuclear weapons should be engaged in nuclear arms reductions after the implementation of the New START treaty.
"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects...
====
http://en.rian.ru/world/201306
Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 20, 2013
Moscow Links More Nuclear Cuts to Missile Defense - Minister
ST. PETERSBURG: Russia-US strategic nuclear arms cuts cannot be pursued without also addressing missile defense systems, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
Strategic stability is affected by the role of defense systems, in particular “the US plans to build non-nuclear weapons” which will be “far more effective than the existing strategic nuclear arms,” he said in an interview with Rossia-24 TV.
Further cuts in nuclear weapons can only be discussed in a multilateral, not bilateral format, with the participation of other nuclear powers, Lavrov said.
In a wide-ranging speech Wednesday in Berlin, US President Barack Obama said he has concluded after “a comprehensive review,” that the United States can cut its deployed strategic nuclear weapons by one-third while still ensuring the nation’s security. “And I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures,” Obama said.
Lavrov also said the US review of its missile defense program for Europe does not address Russia’s concerns because “the system remains global” and its components “are being deployed along the perimeter of our borders.”
Russia and NATO formally agreed to cooperate over the European missile defense system at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, but talks foundered, in part over Russian demands for legal guarantees that the system would not undermine its strategic nuclear deterrent. In mid-March, the US announced that it was modifying its planned missile defense deployment to Poland, dropping plans to station SM-3 IIB interceptors in the country by 2022.
------------------------------
http://www.interfax.com/
Interfax
June 20, 2013
Russia to take time to thoroughly analyze Obama's arms cuts proposal - diplomat
====
"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects...
====
MOSCOW: Russia will thoroughly examine U.S. President Barack Obama's proposals on more radical cuts of nuclear weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"We will coordinate our reasons with our objectives in ensuring our national security and strengthening peace. Analysis will be interdepartmental and will take some time," Ryabkov said in an interview published in Kommersant on Thursday.
Asked what factors Moscow will take into account in making its decision, Ryabkov pointed out that "the notion of strategic stability today significantly differs from concepts that existed in the past."
"Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area," the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects, and refusal of a number of countries to take part in key arms control agreements, he said.
"Without taking all these circumstances into account, it is wrong to talk only about the role of nuclear weapons as a factor affecting strategic stability," he said.
Some media outlets reported that the U.S. expects a reply from Moscow before a Russian-U.S. summit in Moscow in September.
Obama proposed on Wednesday that the U.S. and Russia further reduce their strategic nuclear weapons.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov suggested on Thursday that other countries possessing nuclear weapons should be engaged in nuclear arms reductions after the implementation of the New START treaty.
