The diplomat commented on the statements of the Deputy Assistant to the US Department of Defense, Robert Sufer, who earlier actually accused Russia of starting a "non-strategic arms" race.
According to Antonov, accusations from the Pentagon are being used to justify Washington's policy of lowering the "threshold" for the use of nuclear weapons.
In particular, in 2019, the United States deployed low-yield W76-2 warheads on the Trident II SLBM.
“Strategic carriers in such equipment become, in fact, a“ battlefield weapon ”.
It is these practical steps - and not the intentions attributed to Russia - that have a significant destabilizing effect on nuclear deterrence, "RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
On August 31, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed hope that Washington and Moscow can reach an arms control agreement by the end of 2020.