Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed a proposal he made during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which included that both Moscow and Washington declare that conducting a nuclear war is impermissible.
The "Sputnik" agency reported Lavrov's statements in which he said: "We continually support reaffirming the fundamental formula by Russia and the United States, as well as other members of the five nuclear states, that there cannot be winners in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed. We reiterated this proposal to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the phone conversation that took place on February 4th."
Lavrov noted that ensuring restraint in the area of missiles in the context of ending the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty remains a top priority. He added in this regard: "Our proposal is still in effect; we will not deploy such missiles in areas where American platforms will not be deployed. We call on NATO countries to take similar steps; our proposals are specific regarding mutual verification measures that are well known."
In the same context, Lavrov emphasized that the risk of an arms race in outer space is increasing, but there is still an opportunity to take actions that can prevent it, pointing out that the United States and its allies have begun to practically implement a policy of using space for combat operations, including offensive operations and deploying weapons systems there.
The minister stated: "There is still an opportunity to develop generally acceptable and legally binding measures that could prevent military confrontation in outer space."
