The risks of a direct armed clash between nuclear states are rather high today, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday.
"We have come to the conclusion that today the risks of direct armed conflict, including among nuclear states, are high," Ryabkov told the Primakov Readings forum.
However, Russia has created such groundwork in the field of nuclear deterrence that its security will be guaranteed for decades to come, Ryabkov added.
"As the president has repeatedly said, in recent years such groundwork has been created, primarily in the field of nuclear deterrence, which allows us to guarantee our own security for decades to come," he said.