Are Russia-US arms talks heading for a restart? Kremlin responds

The Kremlin on Monday responded to the possibility of restarting arms control talks between Russia and the United States.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the arms control talks between Russia and the US “were long overdue.” To resume such high-stakes talks over this issue, it is important to have careful negotiations for better understanding.

"This is ​such a complex issue that ​it requires very lengthy, painstaking expert negotiations," ⁠while adding such talks should have restarted "yesterday."

Although Moscow has consistently signalled interest in restoring bilateral relations with Washington, fundamental disagreements regarding the conflict in Ukraine have precluded a substantial diplomatic breakthrough.

Russia’s response came after President Donald Trump during Xi Jinping’s state visit advocated for trilateral arms control talks involving Russia, China and the US.

"The President advocated for trilateral arms control negotiations between the US, Russia, and China," the White House said in a statement.

Washington has maintained that any future framework for strategic arms control must be trilateral, involving the US, Russia, and China. Washington argues that China's rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal means that bilateral limits between Washington and Moscow are no longer sufficient to guarantee global security.

Speaking about the possibility of talks with China, Peskov said China is not willing to participate as it has repeatedly made clear its stance of non-participation.

According to Beijing, its participation is quite unnecessary as its nuclear arsenal is far smaller than those of Russia and the US.