April 25 (Reuters) - Risks of a direct military confrontation between the
two nuclear powers, Russia and the United States, are steadily growing,
the TASS news agency quoted a senior Russian diplomat as saying on Tuesday.

Vladimir Yermakov, the foreign ministry's head of nuclear
non-proliferation, told the Russian state news agency that Washington is
escalating the risks through its conduct with Moscow.

"If the United States continues to follow its current course of
confrontation with Russia, with the stakes constantly escalating on the
verge of sliding into direct armed conflict, then the fate of START
(nuclear arms treaty) may be a foregone conclusion," Yermakov said.

The U.S. told Russia in March that it will cease exchanging some data on
its nuclear forces following Moscow's refusal to do so, calling it a
response to Russia's suspending participation in the New START treaty.

Yermakov did not provide details of the alleged U.S. confrontational
approach in the excerpts from the TASS interview published so far.

"The most acute threat today is associated ... with the danger of nuclear
escalation as a result of a direct military confrontation between nuclear
powers," Yermakov said.

"And these risks, to the deepest regret, are steadily growing."

Moscow and Beijing will assess the West's potential involvement in the
global expansion of the U.S. anti-missile system, which "clearly
undermines strategic stability," he added.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-warns-again-that-risks-nuclear-confrontation-with-us-growing-tass-2023-04-25/