Kremlin Says Russian-American Arms Control Talks Needed 'Back Yesterday'

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russian-American talks on arms control are urgently needed; in fact, they should have been revived "back yesterday," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing on Monday.

"Arms control talks should have been resumed, like, yesterday," he noted.

According to the Russian presidential spokesman, there is currently no legal framework for this issue.

It is the United States which effectively refused to extend the latest agreement in the sphere of strategic stability, the New START Treaty. Nor did Washington respond to Moscow’s proposals to adhere to its parameters for another 12 months without any formal extension.

The United States argues that a future agreement should cover not only Russia and America but also China, something Beijing is opposed to. US President Donald Trump reiterated he is seeking trilateral talks on this topic as he hosted his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Washington.

Moscow has insisted that any new pact should take into account not only the Russian and US arsenals but also the nukes possessed by the US’s two European allies, Britain and France. As regards potential participation of China, Russia considers it is up to Beijing to decide, as it would respect any Chinese decision.