Russia suddenly announced its readiness to negotiate a new arms control agreement with the US.
(Baonghean.vn) - Commenting on media reports that US President Donald Trump wants to sign a new arms control agreement with Moscow and Beijing, on April 28, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Russia is ready to negotiate new arms control agreements, but said that there are currently no rounds of negotiations on this issue.
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| US President Donald Trump wants to sign a new arms control agreement with Moscow and Beijing. Photo: CNN |
In an interview with Russian National Television, Mr. Ushakov emphasized that Moscow is ready to negotiate on this issue.
"First of all, what exists (which was achieved through arms control agreements) must be respected. Russia is also ready to negotiate new agreements, but for that we need serious negotiations, and unfortunately so far there have been no discussions," Mr. Ushakov said.
The Kremlin aide's remarks were seen as more optimistic than those made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on April 27, when he rejected President Trump's proposal for a nuclear disarmament deal.
On April 25, the Washington Post quoted US government officials as saying that President Trump had instructed his administration to prepare to promote a new arms control agreement with Russia and China, citing the escalating costs of the 21st-century nuclear arms race.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have become strained, as both countries announced their withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987. This move has raised concerns about the risk of a larger arms race./.
