Kremlin: Russia not returning to New START treaty until US listens to Moscow's position

Russia has conditioned its return to New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States on Washington listening to Moscow's position.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remark in an interview with Russia's Izvestia daily, which was published early Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced suspension of his country's participation in the treaty last Tuesday.

The treaty was signed in 2010 and extended until 2026. It obliges Russia and the US to deploy no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, which account for 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads, and a maximum of 700 long-range missiles and bombers.

Suspending key nuclear treaty

Russia has suspended its participation in the New START treaty with the United States on Tuesday.

Commenting on Russia's potential return to the pact, Peskov said the "attitude of the collective West" led by the United States, needed to change towards Moscow.

"The security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another," he said.

The official was apparently referring to Russia's assertion that the West has been trying to undermine the country's national security.

Following Putin's announcement about suspending the treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, accusing the United States of being responsible for Moscow's decision.

Russia blames US for decision to suspend New START treaty

Russia says it has concluded that the United States has been in violation of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty.

It denounced the US for noncompliance with the treaty's provisions, and making efforts to target Russia's national security, "which directly contradict the fundamental principles and understandings enshrined in the preamble of the treaty."

The Russian ministry, however, stressed that Moscow will continue to comply with the quantitative restrictions of nuclear arms.

'NATO acting as Russia's enemy'

Elsewhere in his remarks, Peskov said by arming Ukraine, the member states of the US-led military alliance of NATO were "acting ... no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies."

Since the onset of the year-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the alliance has been supplying billions of dollars worth of arms to the ex-Soviet republic, something that Moscow says would only prolong the war.

Peskov also addressed an initiative put forward earlier this week by China for cessation of the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev.

The Chinese proposal, among other things, urged respect for the sovereignty of all countries, stressing that conflict and war benefit no one and calling for the resumption of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

The Kremlin official said Beijing's voice had to be heard, but due attention should be also paid to its nuances.

"Any attempt to formulate theses for reaching a peaceful settlement to the problem is welcome, but of course, the nuances are important," he noted.

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