PRESS RELEASE

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Russia Will Talk Arms Control If NATO Stops Its Military Buildup

Nov. 29, 2016 (EIRNS)—Alexander Grushko, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, said, yesterday, that if NATO wants to resume arms control discussions with Russia, it must stop its military buildup in the east.

"The situation in the arms control sphere has been rather complicated lately," he noted.

"The main difficulty is that it is unreasonable to urge Russia to advance the use of the relevant tools and at the same time continue military buildup based on the Cold War era plans."

"If NATO countries are actually ready to invest in the mechanisms of arms control, then they should first and foremost abandon their plans to strengthen the alliance’s eastern flank as well as their attempts to achieve military superiority in order to restrain Russia,"

Grushko said. The Russian diplomat pointed out that this was the only way to "start a meaningful dialogue on ensuring military security."

Grushko was responding to the statement initiated by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Nov. 25, and signed by 13 European foreign ministers, calling for calling for the re-opening of arms control talks with Russia and warning that the existing arms control regimes with Russia are crumbling.