China News Service, March 2 (Xinhua) According to Agence France-Presse, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov warned at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on the 2nd that the involvement of the United States and NATO in the situation in Ukraine may have "catastrophic consequences." ".
"The policy of the United States and NATO aimed at further inciting conflict in and around Ukraine now constitutes the most serious strategic threat," Ryabkov said.
The hall was nearly empty when Ryabkov spoke, the report said.
In protest of his speech, many Western diplomats symbolically gathered in front of a mural featuring the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag to take photos during his scheduled speech time.
Simon Manley, Britain's permanent ambassador to the WTO and the United Nations in Geneva, said: "Before Russia pulls its tanks out of Ukraine ... we are gathered here to show our support for our Ukrainian partners."
US Deputy Secretary of State Bonnie Jenkins criticized Russia as an "irresponsible nuclear power" at the opening of the Conference on Disarmament after Russia announced the suspension of its implementation of the New START treaty.
But Ryabkov insisted that Russia had no choice but to suspend its participation in the treaty while continuing to observe quantitative limits on strategic offensive weapons.