Russia calls for renewal of disarmament agreements

MOSCOW -- Russia advocates to resume dialogue on multilateral disarmament and arms control agreements, including a New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Thursday.

"I would like to say that the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament is currently in session, and we are actively participating in discussions," Vershinin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency on the sidelines of a high-level week of the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

He said Russia supports "the renewal of such strategic agreements."

The Russia-US New START treaty is set to expire on Feb 5, 2026, and discussions between Moscow and Washington on the future of strategic arms control have been absent in recent times, RIA Novosti reported.

"However, this requires thorough and systematic efforts. Most importantly, it demands a constructive attitude from partners based on mutual respect and recognition of each other's interests to ensure strategic stability," Vershinin added.

Earlier in February, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, said that the United States is not yet ready to resume serious discussions with Russia on nuclear disarmament.

Several US Democratic lawmakers last week urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to work with Congress to renew the New START treaty, arguing that the agreement has reduced the risk of nuclear war even during tense times, according to media reports.