Speaking to Channel 1 of Russian television, he stressed that at this time the priority is “to ensure the achievement of the objectives set by our leadership for the special military operation.”
However, he assured that if the United States is ready to resume the dialogue, Russia will agree, as well as to work within the framework of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start III), which, in his opinion, is also on hold. “It all depends on Washington,” she said.
The senior official clarified that Moscow’s contacts with US representatives are maintained continuously, including through the Russian embassy in that country.
Riabkov warned that there is also some exchange on international platforms, but warned that the environment in them “is poisoned” by the efforts of that North American country.
In this sense, he pointed out that his country will not engage in a dialogue “about what the United States administration wants to impose on us.”
The Russian deputy foreign minister indicated that Moscow and Washington are not holding negotiations or consultations on the Ukraine issue.
In another part of the interview, he announced that the Russian sanctions lists against the United States are prepared and will soon be made public.
He also stated that Russia will soon publish additional data on Ukraine’s involvement in biological weapons research and production.
“The most important topic of the last few days is the revealed facts of cooperation between the United States and Ukraine in the field of creating biological weapons,” he said.
It meant that such investigations represented a direct and immediate threat to the security of Russia and its population.
He reported that in the coming days, voluminous materials on the matter will be published as a continuation of the discussion that took place yesterday in the United Nations Security Council, regarding the Russian complaint on the subject.
In his statements on television, Riabkov emphasized that filling Ukraine with Western equipment only complicates the situation, makes the arms convoys legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of his country.
He drew attention to the possible consequences of an “absurd transfer” to the Ukrainian Armed Forces of such types of weapons as man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems.
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