New START Treaty extension guarantees predictability in Russia-US relations, says Lavrov

The New START Treaty remains a fundamental element of maintaining strategic stability and international security, Lavrov noted

MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. The prolongation of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) guaranteed predictability in the Russia-US relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in his video address to participants in the Geneva disarmament conference on Wednesday.

"Certain encouraging moments have emerged this year. First of all, I mean the recent extension of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty, which remains a fundamental element of maintaining strategic stability and international security," Russia’s top diplomat pointed out.

"Therefore, a proper level of predictability has been ensured for the coming years in the relations between Russia and the United States that possess the largest nuclear arsenals," he said.

"Also, a basis was laid for further negotiations on arms control, necessarily taking into account all the factors that impact strategic stability," Russia’s top diplomat said.

The year 2020 was a difficult period in all respects: the trends of dismantling the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms intensified and tension and a deficit of trust between UN member states increased, Lavrov noted.

"Unfortunately, the United States continued a series of steps to substitute international law and the UN central role by some Washington-dictated "global order based on rules," Lavrov said.

"Following its pullout from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under the Iran nuclear program in 2018 and the dismantling of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, the United States made a decision in 2020 to quit the Treaty on Open Skies, which undermines international security," Russia’s top diplomat noted.

The coronavirus pandemic became another factor that complicated the work at all multilateral forums, including the Disarmament Conference, Lavrov said.

"All the channels of traditional diplomatic communication and interaction were actually paralyzed," the Russian foreign minister said.

tass.com