Russia sees no grounds for strategic or arms control talks with US

MOSCOW: Russia’s foreign ministry sees no grounds for talking about resuming dialogue on strategic stability and arms control with the United States at the moment, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russia’s deputy foreign minister.

Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow and Washington “are exchanging signals on Ukraine” through closed channels at the military and political levels, according to Interfax.

He also said that Russia was ready to listen to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on resolving the crisis in Ukraine, adding that there could be no simple solution.

“We are extremely thorough, responsible and attentive to any ideas that are proposed by countries in this area,” Interfax quoted Ryabkov as saying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Trump on winning the U.S. election, praised him for showing courage when a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, and said Moscow was ready for dialogue with Trump. He said comments that Trump had made about trying to end the war were worthy of attention.

Trump told NBC he had not talked to Putin since his election victory but “I think we’ll speak”. Ryabkov said the threat of severing diplomatic relations with the United States remained if Russia’s frozen assets were seized or Washington escalated tensions over Ukraine.

Ryabkov also commented on Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, saying it would make it possible “to turn to the nuclear option” if there was an acute crisis in relations with the West and the situation in Ukraine, Interfax reported. “This process will be finalised. The president of the Russian Federation as supreme commander-in-chief will undoubtedly make decisions that will mean the improvement of the conceptual foundations of our activities in this sphere,” Ryabkov told Interfax.