Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US made the proposal through diplomatic channels, but added that it has not received a ‘substantive response’ from Washington. He also pointed out that Russian will not persuade the US to accept Putin’s proposal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that the United States (US) has informed Russia that it is reviewing President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to maintain the limitations outlined in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) after it expires in February next year.
In an interview with Sputnik, he said the US made the proposal through diplomatic channels, but added that it has not received a ‘substantive response’ from Washington. Lavrov also pointed out that Russian will not persuade the US to accept Putin’s proposal.ย
“The constructive initiative put forward by President Putin in the post-New START sphere speaks for itself. It has no hidden agenda and is extremely easy to understand. Its practical implementation will not require any specific additional efforts,” he said, adding that Russia sees no need for ‘in-depth discussion’ on this.
“We believe that our act meets the interests of both parties and the entire international community. We are prepared for any developments,” he said, expressing hopes that the outcome will be positive.
Trump’s plan to resume nuclear testing and Putin’s assertionย
Last week, US President Donald Trump had announced that his administration is planning to resume testing of the country’s nuclear weapons on an ‘equal basis’ with its rivals. Following his announcement, Putin also made a similar statement and said it may restart nuclear testing if the US walks out of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) moratorium on nuclear tests.ย
Later on Saturday, Lavrov – who is often considered as Putin’s right-hand man – said Russia is studying the implications of resuming nuclear tests after Putin’s instructions.ย
“The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accepted for implementation the instruction given by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Security Council meeting on November 5; it has been accepted for implementation and is being worked on,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS and RIA Novosti.
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