Both Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Dmitri Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council reiterated President Putin’s proposal to extend the arms limitations specified by the New START Treaty for one year if the U.S. agrees to do this as well. Medvedev indicated that Russia was expecting a response from the U.S. by February 5, the date the treaty expires. While President Trump had indicated that he would be agreeable to this, this is not considered an official response as many of the President’s statements, which are often speculative and contradictory.
“First of all, we need to wait until February 5th and see if the US has any meaningful reaction to the Russian initiative,” Medvedev said in an interview with Kommersant on January 25. Theoretically, based on the calendar, there’s still a small chance for positive decisions.”
