MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Fundamental and substantial disagreements on some matters of strategic stability remain between Russia and the US, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS Friday.
During the recent Russian-American consultation in Vienna, the sides spoke in a friendly and constructive manner, focusing on the matter at hand, "realizing the necessity to find a way forward," Ryabkov noted.
"We did not limit ourselves to mere relaying of our positions, which both Russian and the US are well aware of. These positions are rather strict in many aspects, poorly combining in a number of fields, incompatible in a whole number of elements, but we worked for a result," Ryabkov said. "That this result is beyond our field of view is another matter. But a constructive, calm, business-like approach to these issues, creative in many ways, provides a dose of optimism," Rybakov said.
"I hope that, when this work continues, including on the level of expert groups, whose establishment we have negotiated, and later on our level of inter-agency delegations, we will be able to augment this progress, although, I repeat, disagreements are very significant and fundamental in some aspects," the senior diplomat added.
On June 22, Russian-American consultations on strategic stability and arms control took place behind closed doors in Vienna. Sergey Ryabkov led the Russian delegation. The American delegation was led by Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea.