US: Russia is not in a position to enter the nuclear arms race
US Assistant Secretary of Defense (Pentagon) Assistant Secretary for Defense Policy Kahl spoke with Defense Department Chief Inspector Robery Storch and US Chief of Staff Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims in the House Armed Services Committee in a session on inspections of weapons delivered to Ukraine.
The officials said there were no indications that the US-supplied weapons to Ukraine, other than some small equipment such as night-vision binoculars, were misused or fell into other hands.
“RUSSIA IS NOT IN A POSITION TO ENTER AN UNLIMITED NUCLEAR ARMS RACE”
Assessing a question about the US administration’s suspension of the Moscow New START Treaty between the two countries, which was renewed in 2011, Kahl described as “interesting” that Russia suspended the treaty rather than withdraw.
Kahl argued that Moscow’s preference for suspension rather than withdrawal is an indication that the move will not have an impact on the US administration.
Emphasizing that nuclear stability is important to the United States and the world, Kahl said: “However, to be honest, Russia is not in a position to engage in an unlimited nuclear arms race. They don’t have the money for that, especially considering the burden the war has placed on the military and sanctions on export controls. I think this is[Russian President Vladimir Putin’s]way of making some rhetorical headlines. It practically did not change the situation.” he made the comment of him.
On the other hand, the US undersecretary claimed that Russia has too many nuclear weapons and this capability makes Russia dangerous.
Stating that they warned Russia against the use of nuclear weapons at the highest level, Kahl said: “We made it clear that any use of nuclear weapons would be a world-changing step and would face the most dire consequences Russia could ever see. Also, if Russia crosses that threshold, many of the constraints we are currently subject to will be lifted. But the good news is that I don’t think Russia will do that.” He made the assessment of him.
F-16 IS GIVEN TO UKRAINE
Answering questions about the US supply of F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian military and the training of Ukrainian pilots for US-made planes, Kahl said that even in the most optimistic scenario, the acquisition process for an F-16 takes longer. of 18 years. months, so the pilots before deciding to give these planes he said that training will not save time.
Kahl also stated that even if they were given, F-16 fleets would cost billions of dollars and this would eat up Ukraine’s allocated security aid resources.
CHINA-RUSSIA PENTAGON STATEMENT
The possibility of China providing arms support to Russia in the Ukraine-Russia war has been high on Washington’s agenda of late, but the administration appears to have no choice but to sanction Beijing.
The US administration is warning the Beijing administration that delivering weapons to Russia behind closed doors and in public will have dire consequences.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General US Department of Defense (Pentagon) spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder stated that they have yet to see China take a step to supply Russia with weapons, but warned Beijing that deters.
Ryder did not say whether China would take military action against possible arms transfers.
The AA correspondent said: “The State Department and the White House say that China’s aid to Russia will have consequences, and they mean sanctions. Is there a role for the Department of Defense to play in this deterrence effort? To Ryder’s question, “Our focus at this stage is to help Ukraine in their fight. That is the role of the Department of Defense. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making diplomatic commitments on this issue.” he gave the answer.
Ryder, who said China’s aid to Russia would prolong the war and cause innocent people to die, did not comment on whether there would be a military alternative if sanctions don’t work.
Responding to a question about whether the sanctions would be enough to deter China from supplying weapons to Russia, the US general used the following statements:
“The United States has many tools and actions at its disposal, along with the international community, throughout this war, including sanctions, as you mentioned, but the question here is: Does China want to see itself in the field that it claims to be? destroy? Ukraine as a country and kill innocent people, or not? Will they follow through on their declarations that they respect the sovereignty of the country?
The US administration also warned Iran not to hand over weapons to Russia, but in response to the thousands of drones Iran handed over to the Russian military, Washington took no action beyond imposing sanctions on Iran-related companies, institutions and officials. (AA)