 Moscow issues warning over nuclear winter. Global arms control is mired in an unprecedented crisis, triggered primarily by the actions of the West, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed. Speaking at the PIR Center, a Russian think tank specializing in nuclear non-proliferation, Ryabkov argued that the issue had been building for some time and had been exacerbated by U.S. and Western attempts to actively use coercion and violence in unsuccessful attempts to strengthen their global positions. At the same time, Washington and NATO categorically refused Russia's proposals to create a comprehensive security framework in Europe, Ryabkov insisted. Washington is clearly not ready to revise its destructive course seeking to undermine our security. And how long such a frosty winter in this field will last is anyone's guess. This is not fatal in itself. As long as it does spiral into a nuclear winter, he added.