MOSCOW: Moscow is waiting for a response from US President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s proposals regarding the New Str...
MOSCOW: Moscow is waiting for a response from US President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s proposals regarding the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS.
"Apart from a very brief but positive comment from the official White House spokesperson, there has been no reaction in the public domain. In private, however, we sense that the Americans are trying to better understand the Russian position. Overall, however, I do not expect them to respond in detail. Since the statement was made by the president, I think we are entitled to expect a presidential response from Washington," the deputy foreign minister said, answering a corresponding question.
"It is obvious to me, however, that this initiative creates a new situation for the Americans, who are obsessed with fighting their so-called strategic rivals. This includes not only Russia but also China. We will see what practical conclusions they draw from this initiative," Ryabkov added.
The senior diplomat pointed to the Russian president's statement on the New START Treaty. "It is no coincidence that Putin's statement says that we have announced our decision to adhere to the central quantitative limits of the New START, which we have suspended for a year. However, this is contingent on the United States not taking steps that would distort the existing strategic balance. This means not only building up their strategic offensive weapons but also creating destabilizing links in the global missile defense system as part of the ‘US Golden Dome’ program, for example. They need to think very seriously about this," the deputy foreign minister emphasized.
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