They will face a decisive response, including military-technical countermeasures" if the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization make new missile threats against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.
"We are ready for any event. If new missile threats emerge, our opponents will get an adequate response in the field of military-technical retaliatory measures. However, at the same time, hypothetical steps to establish appropriate conditions for equal dialogue would be considered," Lavrov said in an interview to RIA Novosti.
Lavrov underlined that Russia is more interested in a holistic approach to the reduction of the conflict potential, based on the solution of the roots of the deep disagreement over fundamental security.
"NATO's long eastward expansion is one of the significant factors behind the Ukrainian crisis and remains a challenge to the security of Russia. Issues related to arms control may be hypothetically discussed, but only within the framework of a comprehensive agenda," Lavrov said.
In the interview, Lavrov said that Russia will have to abandon its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles as it has become nearly untenable despite officially remaining in effect.
Lavrov emphasized the recent test of Russia's latest medium-range hypersonic system Oreshnik under combat conditions. "This convincingly demonstrated our capabilities and our determination to implement compensatory measures," Lavrov said.
Read also| Peru Raises Minimum Wage by 10%, Now Set at Approximately $300 a Month
Read also| Jaishankar Meets Michael Waltz, Trump's NSA Pick, Signals Collaborative Future
