US 'destructive policy' increases nuclear weapons risk: Patrushev

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Nov 2023 10:31
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Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev says that the global security field "has worsened" as the US continues to maintain an unchanged foreign policy.

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev speaks to the media after a meeting of the Prosecutor General's Office Board with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (AP)

The situation in the global security field "has worsened" due to the US' "destructive policy," according to Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, who spoke on Wednesday at the opening of the meeting of the secretaries of the Commonwealth of Independent States' (CIS) security councils in Moscow.

"Moreover, they stimulate the growth of common threats and challenges, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crime," Patrushev said at the opening of the meeting, adding that "The risk of using nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons is increasing. The militarization of space and cyberspace is being carried out at an accelerated pace."

Patrushev also mentioned the US' policies in the Middle East as being responsible for the worsening situation.

The Russian Security Council Secretary indicated that the West is aggravating the situation in the South Caucasus by forcing Moldovan officials to pursue EU membership, against the will of the people.

"Basically, Moldova risks becoming another victim of Western colonial policy, which is carried out openly, brazenly and cynically, in violation of international law and the laws of the country, including the constitution," Patrushev said.

US expands influence in Kazakhstan via training programs: Russian MFA

The United States is working on expanding its presence in Kazakhstan through training programs for peacekeepers and military personnel, the director of the Third Department of the Commonwealth of Independent States of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Sternik, told Sputnik.

Social media posts indicated that a NATO Peacekeeping Operations Center had been established in Kazakhstan, which shares a 7,644-kilometer border with the Russian Federation.

However, the country's Ministry of Defense denied these reports, claiming that the center was a new conference hall for its peacekeeping operations center in Almaty, which had been subject to terrorist attacks.

The Russian official echoed the Kazakh Defense Ministry's comments, saying "it is incorrect to speak about the opening of 'NATO center' in Kazakhstan.

Nonetheless, Sternik pointed out that the US is attempting to draw itself closer to Kazakhstan's government by expanding its role in peacekeeping training programs. The US would also be indirectly training and building relations with the country's military personnel via these programs, Sternik underlined.