Moscow remains open to diplomatic relations with Washington but it is uncertain what the future holds, according to the deputy foreign minister.
A senior Russian diplomat stated Monday that the chances of US-Russian strategic dialog being reopened are uncertain because Washington has been promoting aggressive policies.
Speaking to the newspaper Izvestia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that “The task of speculation on the future prospects for strategic dialogue with the USA, especially after the Americans have shut it down, can be very tedious..”
“Given the aggressive policy Washington has taken towards Russia, it’s not likely that the potential for it to be resumed.,” Ryabkov said, adding that Moscow is paying attention to Washington’s signals regarding the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which puts caps on both countries’ nuclear arsenals.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden said Washington is ready to negotiate “New arms control framework” to potentially replace the landmark arms controls agreement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the US had not yet made any plans.
“Although we have been monitoring signals that suggest that talks may be reopened on the New START Treaty, it is not clear what their motivations are. In general, however, media aren’t used to facilitate negotiations.,” Ryabkov said.
The deputy foreign minister stressed that Russia’s foreign policy objectives remain unchanged. Its vision, he said, involves “A new security equation, which would consider all of the factors that impact strategic stability..” To achieve this, Moscow does its best to negotiate on the “Various offensive and defensive nuclear, conventional and conventional weapons with strategic potential,” he added.
Ryabkov went on to say that Moscow has been open to pragmatic interactions with Washington “These efforts are geared towards reducing tensions and risk, preventing an arms race and dangerous escalation, and strengthening strategic stability..”
But he warned that there is no guarantee the US would. “change its deliberately destructive policies and be ready to conduct a dialogue on [an]Equal footing,” while taking Moscow’s security concerns into account.
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