MOSCOW, April 8. / TASS /. Russia is ready to extend the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, (unofficial name New START), immediately, but the United States does not seek to conduct honest dialogue, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote in his exclusive op-ed for TASS.

"Our position, voiced by President Vladimir Putin, remains unchanged. Russia is not interested in an arms race and remains ready to extend the New START accord immediately and without any preconditions. However, the United States does not seek, contrary to what was seen ten years ago, to engage in a serious, honest and professional dialogue," Medvedev wrote.

He emphasized that the "extension of the Treaty could allow time for the development of a new and, possibly, even a multilateral strategic arms control system." But if the New START deal ceases to exist, its demise will have extremely serious consequences for international security, the Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman is convinced.

Earlier in an interview with TASS, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to discuss the fate of NEW START with US President Donald Trump, noting that refusing to extend the document would be a mistake. When answering the question why the US is not going to prolong the treaty, President Putin suggested that this may be due to the way Washington understands security and the ways to ensure it.

Previously, President Putin already proposed to the United States to extend the document without any preconditions, but Washington did not respond to it.