MOSCOW. Feb 22 (Interfax) - The nuclear deterrence forces of France and the United Kingdom must be counted while drafting agreements between Russia and the United States, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
"We will be watching the reaction of other nuclear powers, NATO member states, France and the United Kingdom, as well. Their nuclear deterrence forces were not included in the count of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles while drafting agreements between the United States and the USSR (Russia) as a rule, yet this should have been done long ago," Medvedev said on Telegram on Wednesday while commenting on the Russian president's decision to suspend the fulfillment of the New START announced on Tuesday.
"This is how the American establishment has been thinking lately: we will be limiting and destroying you, while strategic security is a whole different subject. It is unrelated to the general context of relations between the United States and Russia. This is practically a sacred cow," Medvedev said.
"This conclusion is worse than a crime: it's a blunder of the Americans," he said.
"It is obvious to all reasonable forces that if the United States wants Russia's defeat then we are on the brink of a global conflict. If the United States wants Russia's defeat, we have the right to defend ourselves by any weapons, including those nuclear. This is the reason for suspending (for now) the New START," Medvedev said.