During consultations on strategic issues in Vienna, the Russian and US delegations discussed the issue of extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). This is stated in the comments of the Russian Foreign Ministry following the meeting.
"Following the instruction of the presidents of the two countries, the delegations continued discussing the future of arms control, including extending the START Treaty and maintaining stability and predictability in the context of the termination of the INF Treaty, as well as a comprehensive dialogue on resolving international security problems," the comment reads.
Russian-American consultations on strategic stability ended earlier in Vienna and lasted about 10 hours at the Niederösterreich Palace in the center of the Austrian capital. The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Ryabkov. The American delegation was headed by Special Envoy of the President of the United States for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea.
START-3 remains the only existing arms limitation Treaty between Russia and the United States. It will cease to operate after February 5, 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously offered to extend the agreement for five years without preconditions.
Previous bilateral talks on strategic issues were held in Vienna on 16 January, after which the already irregular dialogue was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from RIA Novosti, TASS