NEW YORK, February 21. /TASS/: The US is still ready to discuss with Russia the issue of strategic arms limitation at any time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
"[The US is] ready to talk about strategic arms limitations at any time with Russia, irrespective of anything else going on in the world or in our relationship," he told reporters accompanying him on a visit to Athens, according to the New York Times.
Blinken said that Russia's announcement that it was suspending its participation in the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) was "deeply unfortunate," and slammed the decision "irresponsible." According to Blinken, Washington will be "watching carefully to see what Russia actually does," ready to ensure the safety of the US and its allies.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly that the country was suspending its participation in the New START, but was not withdrawing from it. The head of state stressed that before returning to discussing the continuation of work under the treaty, the Russian side should understand for itself how the arsenals of not only the United States, but also those of other NATO nuclear powers - the UK and France - would be taken into account under the New START.
