Russian Defence Minister accuses West of seeking to expand Ukraine war to Asia-Pacific

BEIJING - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the West wants to expand the conflict in Ukraine to the Asia-Pacific region, Russian state media reported, citing comments made at a Beijing defence forum on Monday.

Speaking at

the Xiangshan Forum,

China’s biggest military diplomacy event, Mr Shoigu said Nato is covering up a build-up of forces in the Asia-Pacific with an “ostentatious desire for dialogue”, Russia’s Tass news agency said.

Mr Shoigu said Nato countries were promoting an arms race in the region by increasing their military presence and

the frequency and scale of military drills

there. US forces will use information exchanges with Tokyo and Seoul on missile launches to deter Russia and China, he added.

He also accused Washington of trying to use climate change and natural disasters as an excuse for “humanitarian interventions”.

The emergence of new security blocs like the Quad and Aukus, he said, undermined the role of Asean and nuclear non-proliferation efforts in the region. (The Quad groups Australia, India, Japan and the US, while Aukus  comprises Australia, the United Kingdom and the US.)

At the same time, he said, Moscow’s move to

revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

did not mean the end of the agreement, and Russia was not lowering its threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

“We are only seeking to restore parity with the United States, who have not ratified this treaty,” Russia’s RIA news agency quoted Mr Shoigu as saying. “We are not talking about its destruction.”

He said Moscow was ready for talks on the post-conflict settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and on further “co-existence” with the West, but that Western countries had to stop seeking Russia’s strategic defeat.

Making clear the conditions for such talks were not in place yet, he said: “It is also important to ensure equal relations between all the nuclear powers and permanent United Nations Security Council members who carry special responsibility for upholding peace and global stability.” REUTERS