MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. Moscow and Washington held direct consultations on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in recent weeks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS.

"We aren’t in contact with the Americans on New START issues at this point," he said, adding, however, that "several rounds of consultations took place in the past weeks and months, including direct ones, which weren’t about exchanging public statements."

"As part of the exchange of views, the parties confirmed their opposing, irreconcilable positions," Ryabkov added.

The deputy foreign minister emphasized that Russia had not deviated from its stance that "the suspension of New START remains in effect and this decision may be revoked or reconsidered only if the US demonstrates a willingness to abandon its fundamentally hostile policy toward the Russian Federation." "US accusations that we are violating something are totally unacceptable. There is a fully developed, in-depth legal framework - not to mention the political basis for this decision - that allows us to stand fast by our suspension of the treaty," Ryabkov said.

"However, during the occasional and sporadic communication sessions that took place in the past weeks and months, both parties reaffirmed their determination to comply with the core quantitative limitations outlined in the treaty and - given the lack of information exchange based on the treaty provisions - to continue exchanging notifications of ground-based ballistic missiles, that is, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, as part of the 1988 agreement. In addition, both parties will continue to exchange notifications of major exercises of strategic forces," the diplomat pointed out.

According to Ryabkov, all of this, combined with a commitment to comply with the core quantitative restrictions stipulated under New START, "will somehow ensure predictability and relative stability at this point." "This is important in and of itself in these turbulent and troubled times," the Russian deputy foreign minister concluded.