Moscow welcomes Washington's return to 'reason' at the level of strategic dialogue

MENA

Published: 2021-06-17 14:49

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 15:08


Source: AP News
Source: AP News

Moscow welcomed Thursday the commitment of the Russian and American presidents to a dialogue on "strategic security" and nuclear disarmament, saying that the United States had returned to "reason" the day after the first summit between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden.

Putin and Biden initialed a short text confirming their intention to establish a "dialogue on strategic stability," particularly the issue of nuclear arms control.

The United States, under Donald Trump, withdrew from bilateral and multilateral treaties.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told "Echo of Moscow" radio, "The text is very short, but it is a joint document on strategic stability that shows the special responsibility of our two countries, not only towards our peoples, but before the whole world."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the possibility of a dialogue on nuclear disarmament and the rejection of atomic war as "a real achievement."

After Joe Biden extended at the beginning of the year the "New Start" treaty on nuclear disarmament at the last minute, Ryabkov considered, according to Kommersant newspaper, that "this constitutes a second step by Washington towards a return to logic."

He added that the dialogue on strategic stability between the Russians and the Americans will start soon, adding, "It is a matter of weeks, not months."

Russia and the United States possess more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, according to a 2020 report issued by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

At the conclusion of their summit, Putin and Biden considered that the dialogue between them was constructive, noting that there were deep differences over a wide range of files.

The Russian-American relations have been witnessing a continuous deterioration for years, which raises the fear of a new arms race.