Russia and U.S. bargain New START Treaty

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) "sounds like a good idea".

"We welcome this statement and believe that it gives us reason to be optimistic that the US supports Putin's initiative," Dmitry Peskov said.

However, according to the spokesman, no specific signals have been received through diplomatic channels yet.

Earlier, the U.S. leader said that Putin's proposal on the New START Treaty "sounds like a good idea."

On September 22, the Russian president announced at a meeting with the Russian Security Council that Moscow is prepared to continue complying with the treaty's quantitative restrictions for an additional year after its expiration in February. He emphasized, however, that this measure is only viable if Washington acts in a similar manner.