MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. There is no plan to hold strategic stability talks with the United States right now, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
"We have some experience, though not quite fresh, of reaching agreements with the United States, which were built on the only possible basis of a strict balance of interests, and where the American side has no unilateral advantages," he said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine. "This experience cannot be erased. But as of today, there is simply neither a format nor any subject for bilateral discussions with the United States on this topic. However, this doesn’t mean that we are seeking to dodge discussing issues of strategic stability in other, multilateral formats."
"For instance, the Big Five of nuclear powers, where some dialogue, including with US representatives, is maintained," he said. "Work is also conducted on the sidelines of relevant international structures."
According to the senior Russian diplomat, as the international community nears, for example, another non-proliferation treaty review conference, "corresponding efforts continue, including as part of Russia’s current chairmanship of the Big Five."