The State Department will continue to work to preserve the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START III), which controls the amount of nuclear weapons available to the United States and Russia, despite Moscow’s decision to unilaterally suspend compliance. of the treaty.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday when asked to comment on the “No to START-3” bill soon to be introduced by a group of senators in the upper house. of Congress. The bill’s sponsors promote the idea of ​​the United States withdrawing from the treaty in response to similar actions by Russia, which stopped complying with START-3 requirements.
Vedant Patel stressed that the United States continued to respect the terms of the agreement, calling Moscow’s decision “regrettable and irresponsible”.
“We start from the fact that mutual respect for START-3 strengthens the security interests not only of the United States, but also of our allies and partners. This strengthens the security interests of Russia and the rest of the world. And that’s why we continue to work to save the treaty,” Patel said, declining to comment on the bill because he is unfamiliar with its contents.
“But we believe the world will be a better place if our two countries respect the START-3 treaty,” he added.
Patel also responded to a question about the US position that negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be held in Moscow at the end of May, given the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“We continue to provide our full support and commitment as both countries strive to secure a lasting and dignified peace,” Patel said. “We welcome reports that the parties intend to continue to engage in these discussions and reaffirm our belief that peace is a reality and that direct dialogue is the key to resolving these issues.”
The State Department representative noted that the very fact of the negotiations is of paramount importance.
“Whether they take place in Arlington, in Brussels, in Moscow, our support for these efforts will continue,” he said.
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