The Kremlin reveals the conditions for negotiations with the US.
(Baonghean.vn) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia remains ready to negotiate with the US but will only agree to comprehensive discussions on all issues of concern.
Russian Ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, stated on March 26 that the diplomatic mission has only had “temporary” contacts with the US authorities since the terrorist attacks in Moscow on the evening of March 22, but that next week they will discuss “bilateral relations, how we can continue to coexist, and whether there is any chance that Russian-American relations will not be completely destroyed.”
Moscow has the "political will" to negotiate with Washington, but "supports a comprehensive discussion of all issues," Peskov clarified. "President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated our readiness for dialogue, and we believe that all issues need to be discussed comprehensively. You cannot take certain issues out of the overall context currently governing our bilateral relations," Peskov added.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last November that Russia was trying to determine whether it made sense to talk to the US under the current circumstances. Washington severed almost all ties with Moscow in February 2022, citing the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. In August of that year, Ambassador Antonov said that “only fragments remain,” referring to the Syrian de-escalation hotline, space exploration, and some work related to the policy of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
However, since then, Russia has suspended its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty, citing US claims of causing “strategic failure” for Moscow by arming and financing Ukraine.
Peskov said last month that Russia saw no “political will” from Washington to engage in meaningful talks with Moscow.