Russia will use whatever weapons it wants. Arms control is a thing of the past, warned Gerasimov

According to Gerasimov, distrust towards the West is understandable: Russia has noticed increased activity by NATO, led by the US, near its borders.

“As part of the army maneuvers, the Alliance relocated significant contingents, including American troops, to the Russian border and also deployed a launch device from a missile system with a range of 2,400 kilometers in Denmark,” said Gerasimov. “After the Ukrainian army hit Russian territory with long-range missiles, the United States became a direct participant in the conflict in Ukraine,” he added, according to Reuters.

At the same time, he accused the USA of inciting conflicts in the world and weakening arms control treaties. “The main reason for the escalation of the situation is the desire of the West, led by the United States, to maintain its global dominance and continue to forcibly impose an order favorable to them, but which has no legal basis in terms of international law,” Gerasimov explained the Russian position. “In response, Russia will develop relations with China, India, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela,” he said according to the TASS agency.

According to him, Russia will also use the weapons it deems appropriate as part of its response to security threats. “In response to American escalation, we tested the (medium-range ballistic missile) Orešnik,” he recalled.

According to Gerasimov, in addition, the deployment of American missiles in Europe and Asia stimulates races in strategic offensive weapons. “Russia is particularly concerned about the increase in the number of American forces in the Philippines,” he added.

“The topic of arms control thus remains a thing of the past, because a return to the necessary minimum trust is currently impossible due to the double standards of the West,” said the Chief of the Russian General Staff.

Russia and the USA have been by far the largest nuclear powers since the Cold War, but the system of arms control treaties, which were supposed to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict, is falling apart.

Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the US-Russian START nuclear arms control treaty, which sets both sides limits on strategic nuclear weapons. However, both sides are still observing the limits regarding the number of warheads, missiles and bombers.

The United States, which views Russia and China as the biggest threats to the West, blames Russia for the collapse of agreements such as the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Citing Russian violations of the agreements, which Moscow denies, the US has formally withdrawn from the INF Treaty and from the agreement on the limitation of anti-missile defense (ABM) systems.