Russia won’t be dragged into new arms race – Lavrov

Moscow will not get involved in a new arms race because of US threats to its security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged on Wednesday. Russia has never rejected consultations, or any talks aimed at strengthening strategic stability in changing conditions, he said in Abu Dhabi. “It’s not our fault that all our numerous proposals… were left without reaction,” the minister pointed out. He cited President Vladimir Putin who'd said earlier that all these proposals remain on the table, “but we will not bother our Western partners on this topic anymore.” Last November, Putin had said that Moscow will not let anyone allow themselves to be dragged into another arms race. Russia is ready to continue dialog with the US on the bilateral treaty banning medium-range missiles, he said.