Russian Diplomats Are Sharply Explicit on Global War Danger

June 18, 2019 (EIRNS)—A number of high-level Russian diplomats are restating the warning delivered by President Vladimir Putin in a June 7 press interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, about the danger that the current strategic crisis poses and how it could even escalate towards nuclear war.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov spoke at a meeting of the Seattle World Affairs Council on June 17, held at the Perkins Coie headquarters in that city, and was blunt: “As I travelled through Seattle today, I saw many smiling people. Many shop owners who looked happy. Surely they do not want nuclear war. But if we do not fix these problems, this is what we face.” He insisted that the U.S. and Russia “can and must find a common ground.... In order to rebuild trust, a dialogue is essential,” stating that “it’s impossible to speak to each other through mass media.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on July 18 that

“For quite a while, we have been witnessing the United States continuous attempts to increase political, psychological, economic and military pressure on Iran. I think that such actions are rather provocative and cannot be considered as anything other than a deliberate policy to instigate a war,”

TASS reported. Speaking to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s bicameral Federal Assembly, Ryabkov also addressed the question of possible U.S. deployment of intermediate range missiles near Russia’s borders:

“The Russian President said on Feb. 2 that, being guided by our responsible approach to ensuring global peace and security, we were launching scientific, research and development activities for creating medium-range missiles so that we were able to repel prospective U.S. missiles, the production of which has entered an advanced stage.”

But, he continued, Putin had made it clear that Russia “will abstain from deploying our units anywhere until the U.S. does it.”