The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that "the G7's talk about nuclear arsenals serves only to exert psychological, military, and political pressure on Moscow and Beijing." In the first statement regarding nuclear disarmament issued at a G7 summit, the group recently urged Russia and China to "demonstrate greater transparency regarding their nuclear arsenals, similar to steps taken by the United States, Britain, and France."
Commenting on this, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that the statement reflects the "hostile tone of the group" towards Russia and China. The ministry's website quoted Ryabkov as saying, "One gets the impression that the West's discussion about the size of their nuclear arsenals has a single goal: to exert psychological, military, and political pressure on Russia and China," adding, "It is clear that behind this lies a pathological desire to discredit our countries."
These statements follow angry reactions from China and Russia regarding the G7 summit and the statements related to each on various issues. Moscow described the summit as a "breeding ground" for anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria.
