Moscow:

With its lack of trust in the West, Russia is planning to build stronger ties with India among other countries. Accusing the United States of instigating global conflicts and sinking crucial Cold War arms control treaties, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said it is “impossible” for Moscow to place a “minimum level of trust” in the West. 

Claiming that any effort to reach a meaningful agreement on arms control is hindered by the West’s “double standards”, Russia’s top Army commander said the issue has become irrelevant to current international relations due to a lack of trust between Moscow and the West. 

Russia and the United States– by far the largest nuclear powers– have both expressed regret about the disintegration of the tangle of arms control treaties which sought to slow the arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war.

“On the whole, the topic of arms control remains in the past, since a return to a minimum level of trust is impossible today due to the double standards of the West,” Mr Gerasimov said according to a report by Reuters.   

The Russian top general said with Moscow having no trust in the US and other Western countries, it would develop ties with China, India, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.

“Without trust, it is impossible to create an effective mechanism for mutual control,” he was quoted as saying by the defence ministry. 

“Many countries have begun to think about adequate response measures,” he added.

The United States, which casts Russia and China as the biggest nation-state threats to the West, blames Moscow for the collapse of agreements such as the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The United States formally withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations which Moscow denied. The US withdrew from the ABM treaty in 2002.

President Vladimir Putin in 2023 suspended Russian participation in the New START treaty that limits both sides’ strategic nuclear weapons, blaming US support for Ukraine. However, Moscow has kept to the warhead, missile and bomber limits imposed by the agreement – as has the United States.

Gerasimov said that the deployment of US missiles in Europe and Asia was stoking “a strategic offensive arms race”, with a build-up of American forces in the Philippines of particular concern to Russia.

He said Russia had seen increased activity by the US-led NATO military alliance near Russia’s borders. After Ukraine struck Russian territory last month with long-range missiles supplied by the United States, the US had become a direct participant in the conflict in Ukraine, the general added.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, gestures as he speaks to Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov prior to a meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin with the top military brass in Moscow, Russia, on December 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on June 25 for Russia’s former Defence Minister and its military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.

The court is accusing former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.

The court said in a statement that warrants were issued because judges considered there were reasonable grounds to believe that the men are responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure” from October 10, 2022 until at least March 9, 2023.

“During this time-frame, a large number of strikes against numerous electric power plants and sub-stations were carried out by the Russian armed forces in multiple locations in Ukraine,” the court added.

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There is no immediate likelihood of either suspect being detained. Russia isn’t a member of the global court, doesn’t recognize its jurisdiction and refuses to hand over suspects.

Last year, the court also issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Mr. Putin replaced Mr. Shoigu as Defence minister in a Cabinet shakeup in May as he began his fifth term as President. He appointed Mr. Shoigu as secretary of Russia’s Security Council, the Kremlin said.