The Kremlin: We welcome the Biden administration’s proposal to extend the “New Start”, but it depends on the details

The Kremlin welcomed the announcement by the administration of the new US President, Joe Biden, that it would seek to extend the New START Treaty, which expires in February, noting the need to review the details of Washington’s offer.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov renewed to reporters today, Friday, Moscow’s firm desire to preserve the treaty concluded with Washington in 2010, noting that the presence of political will in the administration of the new US president to extend the agreement related to limiting strategic offensive weapons is something that Russia welcomes.

Peskov added, “Russia supports the preservation of the” New Start “(START-3) and the extension of this treaty in order to provide time for negotiation, but everything now depends on the details of this offer, which I can not comment on now.”

He explained, “Until now, specific conditions have been put forward to extend the treaty, and some of them were totally unacceptable to us, so let’s first look at what the Americans are proposing and then we will issue comments.”

The spokesman said he was not aware of whether Washington had delivered to Moscow through its embassy its proposals on extending the treaty.

Peskov stressed the need for Russia and the United States to take into account each other’s concerns during the negotiation of the treaty.

These statements come as a comment on the White House announcement that the Biden administration will offer Russia to extend the “New START” treaty for five years.

The “New START” (START-3) is the last agreement on arms control between Moscow and Washington, after the administration of former US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the Intermediate and Short-Range Missile Elimination Treaty concluded with Moscow in 1987 and the “Open Sky” agreement.

Source: Novosti