SOCHI, June 22. /TASS/. Russia's position on the topic of strategic stability remains unchanged, but Moscow is open to dialogue on equal footing, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
"Our position does not change. We are open to dialogue. We are ready to discuss all issues related to strategic stability, but on an equal basis. We don’t pick and choose like our opponents, namely the US, suggest, but take into account all factors that have an impact on this strategic stability," he told reporters on Thursday.
The senior diplomat also pointed out that a return to the New START Treaty is possible only if the US and its allies abandon "a fundamentally hostile course toward Russia." "It is clear that this is a long way off, but I am confident that this moment will come and our adversaries recognize the error of their ways," he added.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was suspending its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) but not withdrawing from it. The president stressed that before any discussion about an extension of the New START Treaty could begin, the Russian side wants to understand how the treaty will take into account not only the United States’ arsenals but also the stockpiles of other NATO nuclear powers, namely the United Kingdom and France. On February 28, the president signed a law on the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty.