MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Dialogue on the future of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) should begin between Moscow and Washington, but the issue of the nuclear arsenals of London and Paris will inevitably need to be resolved, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

"Of course the negotiations should be started at the bilateral level. After all, the New START Treaty is a bilateral document. But in the future, it will not be possible to abstract ourselves from these arsenals. Especially since these arsenals are part of the overall problem of global European security and strategic stability," he said.

New START set limits on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, certain other missiles, and nuclear warheads for Russia and the United States.

In February 2023, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was suspending its participation in the accord, though not withdrawing from it.

Before returning to treaty dialogue, Russia wanted to understand how the arsenals of other NATO nuclear powers - the United Kingdom and France - would be accounted for, he said.

Moscow and Washington indicated their intention to continue voluntarily observing the treaty’s central quantitative restrictions until its expiration.

On September 22, Putin told a meeting of the Security Council that Russia is prepared to abide by these restrictions for one year after the treaty expires in February 2026. He stressed, however, that this would only be possible if Washington does the same.