Peskov: the nuclear arsenal of France and Britain is “under the control of the United States”

The Kremlin believes that the nuclear arsenals of Britain and France are “de facto under the control of the United States.” This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov.

“From our point of view, the nuclear arsenal of both France and Great Britain can be said to be de facto under the control of the United States. Therefore, if we talk to America, then talking without taking into account these two arsenals is meaningless. This is a conceptual approach to what is happening,” Peskov answered a question about the statement of the French Foreign Ministry.

Peskov explained that since the republic is “a single integral system of NATO”, and the alliance itself is under the control of the United States, then “it is a single whole.”

Former French Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Anne-Clair Legendre statedthat a significant reduction in the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States remains the main condition for France’s participation in negotiations on strategic arms control. The ministry noted that France announced this back in 1983.

On February 21, during his address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty. After, February 28, President signed relevant law.

Then Peskov noted that Russia was not leaving the arms reduction treaty, but it was only about suspension. According to him, Russia’s goal is to make sure that nuclear parity is observed, taking into account the arsenals of France and Great Britain, which are not included in the perimeter of the agreement.

In February, the Russian Foreign Ministry, before the suspension of START III, stated that US actions against Russia could lead to a direct military clash between the two powers. “The United States, in fact, unleashed an all-out hybrid war against Russia,” the department said at the time.

On January 31, the US State Department notified the country’s Congress that it considers Russia’s “blocking” of American inspections a violation of the treaty. After that Peskov informedthat Russia considers it important to extend START III. According to him, the treaty remained “virtually the only one” that remained “not exactly viable, but, at least hypothetically reasoning, viable.”