Kremlin-We Welcome 'Positive' US Statement On Arms Control

Kremlin spox Dmitri Peskov states that Russia welcomes the 'positive' US statement last week from White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan regarding nuclear arms control, adding that Russia expects further diplomatic contact on the issue.

• On 2 June, Sullivan statedthat the US was 'ready to hold arms control discussions with Russia and China without preconditions'. Sullivan also claimed that the US would continue to follow rules laid down in the New START treaty until its expiration in 2026 if Russia would also limit its nuclear arsenal.
• The upbeat-sounding comments come just a day after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov issued a more downbeat assessement, stating that "Talking to the Russian Federation in the language of ultimatums just does not work...Through the fault of the United States, many elements of the former architecture in this area have either been completely destroyed or moved in a semi-lethal state."