US policy on antiballistic missile serious obstacle to nuclear disarmament

UNITED NATIONS, April 27. /TASS/. U.S. policy in the field of antiballistic missiles puts up a serious obstacle to a further slashing of nuclear armaments arsenals, Mikhail Ulyanov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for nonproliferation and control over weaponry said on Monday at a review conference on observance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

"It’s the policy pursued by the U.S. that puts up the most serious obstacle in the way of further nuclear reductions," he said. "The problem stems from the Americans’ staunch clinging to a policy line that objectively rocks the global strategic stability through the creation of a unilateral global system of antimissile defence."

He turned down the charges with violation of international treaties, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry aired at the UN earlier on Monday.

"The American side has again made totally unfounded charges against us claiming we’re violating the INF," Ulyanov says. "Along with it, the U.S. refuses or, most probably, is unable to substantiate these claims with any concrete facts."

"One gets an impression the actual objective is to try and discredit Russia and to profile it as a state encroaching on its international commitments," he said a response to a speech by the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry.