VIENNA, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – The United States orchestrated the leak of information on Russia's plans not to attend the preparatory meetings of the Chicago Nuclear Security Summit in order to put Moscow in an inferior position, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.
"We have explained our stance to our American colleagues a long time ago. We did not want to make it public. If the goal was to send some kind of a demonstrative political signal, we would have gone to the microphone right away. But we followed the usual diplomatic course," Ryabkov told journalists Thursday.
"What is now in the public domain and the subject of discussion is the result of deliberate leaks from government agencies in Washington. The goal of the leak was if not to coerce us to change our stance, then to put us in a position where we would have to make excuses. We have nothing to make excuses for here. Americans know our position," Ryabkov stressed.
On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Moscow was not planning to attend preparatory meetings for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Chicago. According to the ministry, Russia informed its US colleagues of the decision in mid-October.
The ministry said in a statement that the summit suffered from various shortcomings, including discrimination against all participants, except for the host countries of previous and upcoming summits, such as the United States.
