Shoigu: the appearance of nuclear submarines in Australia as part of AUKUS will open a "Pandora's box"
KUBINKA (Moscow region), Aug 16 - RIA Novosti. Washington's arguments about the need for nuclear submarines for Australia repeat the situation with the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty - the appearance of a nuclear fleet from Australia will open a "Pandora's box" in the region, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday at the opening of the Moscow Conference on International Security within the framework of the Army-2022 forum.
"Another dangerous regional trend is the focus of AUCUS on the development of a nuclear submarine fleet in Australia. The implementation of this plan will have a complex negative impact on global and regional security, will create conditions for undermining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The United States claims that nuclear submarines are needed in Australia, ostensibly to compensate for the growing potential of the Chinese Navy," Shoigu said.
He noted that such logic actually repeats the actions of the United States in justifying withdrawal from the Treaty on Intermediate-Range and Shorter-range Missiles. Then it was motivated by the need to compensate for the efforts of Russia and China to create missiles with a flight range allegedly prohibited by the treaty.
"In the global dimension, the appearance of a nuclear fleet in Australia will give other states a reason to start developing similar weapons. Pandora's box will be opened, the global nuclear arms race will resume," Shoigu stressed.
