Russian threat against US; Warns of a ‘direct military clash between nuclear powers’

Washington: The Russian embassy has issued a new warning to the United States, stating that Washington’s behaviour on the global stage risks direct conflict between nuclear powers. ‘ Today, the United States continues to act with no regard for the security and interests of other countries,’ the embassy said in a statement on its Telegram channel, according to RT.

‘The (US’) steps to escalate a hybrid confrontation with Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis risk unpredictable escalation and a direct military clash of nuclear powers,’ the statement said. According to RT, the embassy noted that Washington recently withdrew from two key arms control treaties: the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which prohibited certain types of land-based missiles, and the 1992 Treaty on Open Skies, which allowed for surveillance flights over each other’s territories.

The embassy urged the US to ‘take a closer look at its own nuclear policy rather than making unfounded accusations against countries whose worldviews do not coincide with the American ones.  Our country faithfully fulfils its obligations as a nuclear-weapon state and makes every effort to reduce nuclear risks,’ the diplomats said. The statement comes after the US accused Moscow of using the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine as a cover for its soldiers.

The plant, Europe’s largest, was taken over by Russian troops in the early stages of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, which began in late February. According to RT, it is still in operation with Ukrainian personnel under Russian control.