Representatives of the Russian and US delegations in Abu Dhabi discussed the expiration of the latest nuclear agreement New START (New START Treaty) between Russia and the US and agreed to soon start new talks on nuclear arms control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced today, quoted by the Associated Press, BTA reports.
Russian and US negotiators discussed this issue in the UAE at the trilateral meeting, which lasted two days and aimed at reaching a peace agreement on Ukraine.
"There is an understanding that both sides should take responsible positions and start negotiations as soon as possible", he pointed out Peskov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his readiness to observe the restrictions imposed by the treaty for another year if Washington does the same.
For his part, US President Donald Trump ignored the proposal and said that he wanted China to also be part of the new treaty, which was rejected by Beijing.
"Instead of expanding New START - a poorly negotiated agreement by the US, which, among other things, is being grossly violated – "Our nuclear experts need to work on a new, improved and modernized agreement that will last long into the future," Trump said on his social network "Truth Social."
When asked to comment on information from the "Axios" publication, according to which Russian and American negotiators had discussed an informal agreement to observe the treaty's restrictions for another six months, Peskov replied that such an extension should only be formal.
"It is obvious that the provisions of the treaty can only be extended in a formal way. It is difficult to imagine any other kind of informal extension in this area," Peskov stressed.
The Kremlin spokesman expressed regret over the expiration of the New START treaty and described it as a "negative development." At the same time, he stressed that "if we get constructive answers, we can certainly have a dialogue."
New START expired on Thursday, leaving no limits on the two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century and fueling fears of an unlimited nuclear arms race, the AP notes.