Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Rossiya Segodnya, the parent company of Sputnik, in an interview yesterday that extending the New START strategic arms reduction treaty will benefit both the United States and Russia, as well as the world, providing the U.S. doesn’t hold extension hostage to some other policy agenda. “We would like to expect that the new U.S. administration, just like us, will proceed from an obvious fact that the New START extension with no additional conditions and, preferably, for the maximum envisioned period of five years, would serve the security interests of both our countries and the whole international community,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov further said that, judging by statements for the media, the team of President-elect Biden, unlike the previous partners in this dialogue, is not interested in making the New Start hostage to its ambitions and trying to “force” obviously unrealistic positions. “If this is true, which we are yet to learn, then chances to reach agreement on extending the deal before it expires in February 2021 still exist,” Lavrov delcared.
“As for the possible further cooperation with the U.S. in arms control, for which we are actually calling, any negotiations — if and when they start — will bring some tangible result only if the U.S. side is ready to really take into consideration Russia’s interests and concerns. This should be like what our U.S. colleagues describe as a ‘two-way street,’” Lavrov said.
More broadly on U.S.-Russian relations, Lavrov expressed hope that the new U.S. administration will be committed to establishing a dialogue with Moscow. “Of course, this would have positive influence on the general international affairs climate, taking into consideration Russia’s and U.S.’ special responsibility of the two major nuclear powers and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for the maintenance of global stability and security, especially in these tough times,” the minister said. However, Russia does not hope for a quick stabilization of the degrading relations with the United States, as anti-Russia hysteria is sweeping the country. “It will not be easy to dismantle the rubble that accumulated in recent years, not by our fault, but it is necessary to strive for it. However, political will on the U.S. side is needed,” he said.
The full interview is posted to the Foreign Ministry website: https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4514920
