A week after Russian president Vladimir Putin doubled-down on a warning to Russia’s geopolitical foes first made earlier this year by declaring that Russia would use its “unstoppable” nuclear weapons in response to an incoming missile attack shortly after US president Trump announced the US would pull out of the INF Treaty, a Russian diplomat has both confirmed (and denied) what US war hawks have been saying: Moscow is preparing for war, just in case the US starts one.
Speaking at the UN on Friday, Andrey Belousov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, echoed Putin’s comments from last week that Russia is indeed readying itself for war, but only so it can defend its people against American aggression.
“At a recent meeting, the US stated that Russia is preparing for war. Yes, Russia is preparing for war, I can confirm it”, Belousov said adding that “We are preparing to defend our homeland, our territorial integrity, our principles, our values, our people.”
Russia’s military build-up and large-scale drills, which have often been painted in the Western media as preparations for all-out war, are a defensive necessity, he said.
Russia doesn’t seek a confrontation, he said, unlike the US. “Why else would the United States pull out of the [INF] Treaty, increase their nuclear potential, adopt a new nuclear doctrine that lowers the threshold for nuclear weapons use – that’s the question for us all.”
Belousov’s words came after a Russian draft resolution to reinforce the INF Treaty, which bans intermediate-range nuclear weapons, was overwhelmingly rejected at the UN First Committee.
“Most of those who voted against were supporters of the INF Treaty. I don’t understand their position,” Belousov said. Among those who voted down the draft were the UK, Germany, France, and, of course, the US.
Trump’s decision to scrap the Cold War-era agreement has alarmed both Europe and Moscow, which warned it would “make the world a more dangerous place” and vowed retaliation.
Washington has accused Russia of building missiles prohibited by the INF, while Moscow argued that American missile defense complexes in Europe can be easily turned into offensive weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if the US moves to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, it will put the whole of Europe at risk of a retaliatory strike.
More nuclear weapons on more missiles equals more money for the merchants of death. Whats not to love? By all means, lets exterminate the entire human race over some bullshit that maybe 10,000 motherfuckers worldwide even understand.
Russia is NOT our enemy. The possibility of a war with Russia is something we must avoid at all costs.
The enemy is the US government and the neocon death merchants that infest it like a cancer.
What other country maintains 800 bases all over the globe and is warring in 7 different countries.
Like Mencken said, a good man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
“Russia is NOT our enemy. ” ——- KaD
You got 12 thumbs up, and 0 downs. Yeah!!!
There was a time long ago here … In the beginning …. when such voting would have been reversed. Really. Did we all just become more aware, or did we just get rid of the neocons, or both?
Whatever the reason … it is nice to see reason reign.
It’s China we gotta watch out for. They have a plan to be world dominant by 2046. All spelled out in “The Hundred Year Marathon” by Michael Pillsbury.
Nuckular weaponz aren’t real.
Nobody has seen one supposedly go boom aboveground since broadcast television went mainstream.
Boots on the ground matter.
Night vision gear/nice optics on new style AK’s,suppressed at that,these folks ready for tough times,nice to have when times get “interesting”.
The stuff in the photo does look really nice. I wonder how many of their troops actually have it. When I enlisted in ’82 the US Army had brochures with pictures of nice equipment, but when I got to my duty station We were using worn out Vietnam era M16s and NODs. We were eating C-rats from decades past. Still better than an MRE though. Our M2s and 1911s were WWII era. Hell they might have even been around since WWI. The 1911s were completely clapped out. I will say though that Ma Deuce is a badass bitch. I fucking love that gun. I was a .50 cal. gunner for two years and had an absolute thrill with every burst that went downrange. That is the only thing I miss about the army. Well that and the German beer. And the red lights on Rickmersstrasse.
They should be preparing. God knows the US government is doing everything possible to PROVOKE war.
America has been planning to overtake Russia for several decades now. America is an imperialistic rogue nation no different from Germany’s Third Reich under Hitler. AmeriKa is the Fourth Reich. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-30/eric-zuesse-america’s-secret-planned-conquest-russia
The real enemy of our country are labeled as “Patriots”.