Russia receives no specific US proposals on replacing New START, diplomat says

Real readiness to resume dialogue with Russia should be backed by specific proposals and signals

Moscow has not received any specific proposals from Washington on holding talks on a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Andrey Belousov told, Qazet.az reports.

According to him, "a declaration of readiness does not mean readiness." "Real readiness to resume dialogue with Russia should be backed by specific proposals and signals that we could take as proof of the United States’ firm determination to resume close interaction with Russia on a wide range of strategic stability issues," Belousov pointed out. "So far, there have been no specific signals, only declarative statements," he added.

"We need to keep in mind when those statements were made and to what extent they are in line with previous statements made by high-ranking officials from the US administration and the State Department. The timing clearly was intentional. The US president made a statement ahead of the [review] conference [of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] in order to show that the United States remains capable of cooperation and is ready for dialogue, including with us," Belousov noted.

According to Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Igor Vishnevetsky, US President Joe Biden simply made a political statement ahead of the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons but there has been no actual progress. It was just a declaration of intent, the diplomat added.