No Contact with US on New START Currently: Lavrov

Russia currently has no contact with the United States on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS on Tuesday.

“There is no contact on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Americans,” he stressed.

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty, but was not withdrawing from it. According to the head of state, before resuming any discussions on the continuation of work under the treaty, Russia needs to understand for itself how the document will factor in the arsenals of NATO’s other nuclear powers, the UK and France, together with US nuclear stockpiles.

On March 1, Putin signed a law suspending Russia’s participation in New START.

Source: Agencies