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Situation in arms control far from optimistic, says Russia’s UN envoy

He pointed out that the United States has already steered the course towards dismantling the arms control system, which was created throughout decades and served as the foundation for strategic stability

MOSCOW, July 9. /TASS/. The Russian-US talks on arms control held in Vienna in June cannot inspire optimism, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman on Thursday.

"Regrettably, those talks held in Vienna by [Russian Deputy Foreign Minister] Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov with US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea could not give rise to optimism, although some agreements were reached there to continue dialogue on various aspects of those issues in several working groups," he said.

Nebenzia pointed out that the United States has already steered the course towards dismantling the arms control system, which was created throughout decades and served as the foundation for strategic stability.

"It is evident that there are two aspects - domestic politics and the aspiration to have a free hand so as to try to project their might all over the world. The United States has pulled out of many things in recent years, doing so consistently and purposefully," the diplomat stressed.

On June 22, Russia and the United States held talks on strategic stability and arms control behind closed doors in Vienna. The countries’ delegations were headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea. The renewal of New START was also on the table of the talks.