MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed issues of strategic stability as well as internal Russian problems with permanent members of Russia’s Security Council on Friday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported.
"At a meeting, current issues of Russia’s socio-economic development were discussed," he said. "There was also an exchange of opinions on issues of strategic stability and arms control," the spokesman added.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, speakers of both houses of the parliament Valentina Matvienko and Vyacheslav Volodin, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) head Sergei Naryshkin, as well as by Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.
On arms control
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) was signed by Russia and the United States in 2010. It will remain effective until February 5, 2021, unless a new document is signed to replace it.
Moscow has urged Washington not to postpone the decision on the extension of the arms control deal, characterizing it as the gold standard in the disarmament sphere. In an interview with the Financial Times in late June 2019 Putin said that once this treaty ceased to exist, "then there would be no instrument in the world to curtail the arms race."
On January 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow continues to support the extension of New START, preferably for five years. On January 15, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS that representatives of the previous US administration were proposing unacceptable additional conditions to the treaty’s extension. He emphasized that "if and when the US abandons its additional conditions, the agreement can be reached rather soon.".