Arya News - Washington`s approach of ignoring Russia`s ideas on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is regrettable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"However, no formal official response from the United States with regard to the Russian initiative has been received through bilateral channels. Public comments from the US side also give no reason to conclude that Washington is ready to follow the course of action in the field of strategic offensive arms proposed by the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement.Russia proceeds from the position that the parties to the New START Treaty are no longer bound by any obligations and symmetrical declarations amid the expiration of the treaty."In the current circumstances, we assume that the parties to the New START are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations in the context of the Treaty, including its core provisions, and are in principle free to choose their next steps," the statement read.Russia "intends to act responsibly and in a balanced manner," developing its policy based on an analysis of the US military policy and the overall situation in the strategic sphere, the statement added.Still, Moscow is open to finding ways to stabilize the situation through equal dialogue, the ministry added."The Russian Federation remains ready to take decisive military-technical measures to counter potential additional threats to the national security. At the same time, our country remains open to seeking politico-diplomatic ways to comprehensively stabilize the strategic situation on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial dialogue solutions, if the appropriate conditions for such cooperation are shaped," the ministry said.