MOSCOW, 25 February (BelTA) – Efforts of Western countries to build up their military potential represent a threat to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), BelTA learned from CSTO Joint Staff Chief Anatoly Sidorov at a press conference on 25 February.
Anatoly Sidorov stated that the military and political situation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization's responsibility area had been complicated and contradictory. “At a time when negative processes were developing in the global international politics and economy the main sources of threats to the CSTO member states included efforts of Western countries to build up coalitional and national military potentials alongside the active expansion of the USA's military presence in Europe, unresolved armed conflicts (primarily those in Syria and Afghanistan), and the lingering high level of international terrorism and religious extremism,” he said.
Anatoly Sidorov stressed that the USA's policy of dismantling the legal base of arms control will have considerable negative consequences for international security. He reminded that the USA withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2019 and from the Treaty on Open Skies in November 2020. “The USA has stepped up efforts aimed at modernizing strategic weapon systems and improving the so-called nuclear triad,” Anatoly Sidorov pointed out. Active scientific research and R&D work is in progress to create a new intercontinental surface ballistic missile to replace Minuteman 3 and equip B-1 and B-52 strategic bombers with future-proof hypersonic AGM-183A ARRW missiles, build the B-21 bomber, which is supposed to enter service in 2025, and build a series of 12 new Columbia class nuclear submarines.
Apart from that, the persistent deployment of the European segment of the missile defense system in Eastern Europe represents a direct consequence of the USA's ignoring of arms control commitments. In addition to an operational American missile defense base in Deveselu, Romania a similar installation is supposed to be commissioned in Redzikowo, Poland in 2022.
Anatoly Sidorov stressed that the main measures to deploy the infrastructure of the missile defense base in Poland have already been completed while design peculiarities of the launch systems at these sites allow using attack weapons, in particular, Tomahawk cruise missiles with the flight range of over 2,000km.
“At the same time I should note that actions of the new White House administration testify to a more balanced approach to arms control and the observation of the USA's commitments within the framework of international treaties,” the CSTO Joint Staff chief reminded. In particular, he mentioned that Russia and the USA had extended the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (SNV-III) by five years. The treaty expired on 5 February.
