Moscow says relations between US, Russia are yet to be improved

(MENAFN) Despite some recent attempts by Washington to repair ties with Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned that it is too early to celebrate any breakthrough. He noted that Russia recently ended a self-imposed ban on deploying intermediate-range missiles as a response to provocative actions by certain NATO countries.

Though the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the two nations collapsed in 2019, Russia had continued to adhere to its limitations. The US, under President Donald Trump’s first term, withdrew from the treaty citing alleged Russian violations, accusations the Kremlin denies.

In an interview with Rossiya-1 on Sunday, Ryabkov acknowledged that “some sprouts of common sense are appearing in the dialogue with the US, which have been sorely lacking in recent months and years.” However, he stressed that describing the current situation as a “détente” would be inappropriate at this stage.

Regarding the decision to lift the moratorium on intermediate-range missile deployment, Ryabkov said Moscow felt compelled to act due to the activities of “the Americans and their allies, especially the European warmongers.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry explained the move by pointing to the “disappearance of conditions for maintaining the unilateral moratorium.” It argued that Western actions are posing a “direct threat” to Russian security, citing the recent Talisman Sabre military exercises in Australia as an example. These drills included the US Typhon mobile ground-based launcher capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles with ranges up to 1,800 km, as well as SM-6 multipurpose missiles reaching up to 500 km.

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