The Kremlin and White House on Compliance with New Start Treaty | Positive Outlook & Dialogue Opened

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin described as “positive” the United States’ declaration that it wanted to comply with the New Start bilateral treaty limiting nuclear arsenals on Monday, and said it was open to dialogue with Washington as Russia itself announced its withdrawal from the treaty.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that the United States would continue to comply with the New Start treaty, which limits the number of nuclear warheads per state to 1,550, if Russia follows suit. The treaty, signed in 2010 between Moscow and Washington, is due to expire in 2026.

“This is an important and positive statement from Mr. Sullivan. Obviously, we are awaiting confirmation of this announcement through diplomatic channels and discussion formats can then be considered,” reacted Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last February that Moscow was suspending its participation in New Start, without however formally withdrawing from the treaty, demanding that Washington end its support for Ukraine and asking for a multilateral agreement that would include France. and Great Britain.

(Reporting by Filipp Lebedev; French version Zhifan Liu, editing by Tangi Salaün)