Kremlin says Russia is interested in resuming nuclear disarmament talks with the U.S.

Moscow believes it is necessary to resume arms control negotiations with Washington “as soon as possible,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing, according to Interfax. Peskov’s remarks came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement that Russia and the United States were close to reaching an agreement on nuclear arms reduction.

The legal framework for arms control has been “significantly undermined, and not through Russia’s fault,” Peskov said. He emphasized that restarting talks between the two nations was “in the interest of the entire world and the peoples [of both countries].”

“Of course, we are interested to begin this negotiation process as soon as possible," Peskov said. "But I’d like to remind you of President Putin’s words that, under the current circumstances, all nuclear capabilities must be taken into account. For instance, it’s impossible to negotiate without considering the nuclear arsenals of France and the United Kingdom,” he added.

Peskov also remarked that while dialogue with the United States is necessary, “a lot of time has been lost.” “We have previously expressed interest in such negotiations, but the ball is in the Americans' court,” he said. “[They] were the ones who terminated all agreements and substantive contacts with our country."

On January 23, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Trump expressed his desire to renew talks on nuclear arsenal reductions with both Russia and China. He also noted that during his previous term, Vladimir Putin had “supported” the idea of such an agreement.