"Reo: 'Nuclear Arms Reduction Talks with the US Are Meaningless... Must Wait Until They Beg'"

"Everything Is a Wasteland" Nuclear War Threat Pressure
Continuous Nuclear Threats After Stalemate on Ukraine Front

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and known as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest aides, warned that it is meaningless to negotiate nuclear arms reduction with the United States at this point and that Russia will wait until the U.S. begs for negotiations. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government has repeatedly threatened nuclear action against the U.S. and the West whenever the frontlines reach a stalemate, demanding a halt to weapons support for Ukraine.

According to TASS on the 20th (local time), Deputy Chairman Medvedev stated at a press conference, "There is no need to negotiate nuclear arms reduction with the United States yet," adding, "We must wait until the U.S. runs away or crawls in to beg and plead for nuclear arms reduction talks." He further warned of the possibility of nuclear war, saying, "We currently have no relations with the United States," and "Everything is now a barren land."

This statement is interpreted as indicating that Russia will continue to periodically use the nuclear threat card against the U.S. and the West. Previously, the U.S. and Russia signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in 2010, and last February, as the treaty's expiration approached, they agreed to extend the treaty for five years until 2026.

However, since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February this year, discussions on specific treaty implementation measures and future nuclear arms reduction plans between the two countries have been completely halted. Additionally, in April, Deputy Chairman Medvedev mentioned that if Sweden and Finland join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), nuclear weapons would be deployed in the Baltic Sea, continuously threatening the West with nuclear force.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.