The Russian stance comes at a time of escalating international debate over the future of nuclear deterrence and arms control, amid moves by Europe, the US, and China that have once again raised fears of a new arms race, following years of a relative decline in the strategic arms limitation system. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, stated that Russia cannot conduct negotiations on strategic stability without the participation of France. Moscow has criticized Emmanuel Macron's announcement to increase the number of French nuclear warheads and launch a program for hypersonic strategic missiles starting in 2026, considering that these steps require the involvement of all European nuclear powers in any future negotiations on strategic stability.
