Arms control must become multilateral issue - US

The U.S. administration believes that arms control should become a multilateral issue and that China must be involved in it, US Secretary of State and national security advisor Marco Rubio said in an article released by the U.S. State Department.

"Arms control can no longer be a bilateral issue between the United States and Russia. As the President has made clear, other countries have a responsibility to help ensure strategic stability, none more so than China," Rubio said.

The official also stressed they will not accept terms that harm the United States or ignore noncompliance in the pursuit of a future agreement. According to him, the U.S. have made their standards clear, and will not compromise them to achieve arms control for arms control’s sake.

"We will always negotiate from a position of strength. Russia and China should not expect the United States to stand still while they shirk their obligations and expand their nuclear forces," Rubio said.

Russia meanwhile suggested other nuclear-armed states such as Britain and France should be included in any talks.