Moscow: Russian and United States negotiators discussed the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between the two countries and agreed on the
Moscow: Russian and United States negotiators discussed the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between the two countries and agreed on the need to quickly launch new arms-control talks, the Kremlin said on Friday, February 6.
The New START treaty terminated on Thursday, February 5, leaving no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century and fuelling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Russian and US negotiators discussed the issue in the United Arab Emirates, where Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations held two days of talks on a peace settlement in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.
“There is an understanding, and they talked about it in Abu Dhabi, that both parties will take responsible positions and both parties realise the need to start talks on the issue as soon as possible,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington follows suit. US President Donald Trump has ignored the offer and argued he wants China to be a part of a new pact, which Beijing has rebuffed.
“Rather than extend NEW START (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernised Treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump posted Thursday on his Truth Social network.
Asked to comment on a report by Axios claiming Russian and US negotiators discussed a possible informal deal to observe the pact’s limits for at least six months, Peskov responded that any such extension could only be formal.
