Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold a phone call with US President Donald Trump and Moscow is awaiting word from Washington that it is also ready, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Trump said on Thursday he wanted to meet with Putin as soon as possible to secure an end to the war with Ukraine and expressed his desire to work toward reducing nuclear weapons, something the Kremlin said Putin had made clear he also wanted.
Waiting for the first call between the leaders
When asked whether Putin and Trump would use this weekend to hold their first phone call since Trump's inauguration — a key precursor before meeting in person for more in-depth talks — Peskov said:
“Putin is ready. We are waiting for signals (from Washington). Everyone is ready… As soon as there is something, if there is something, we will inform you.”
The denuclearization proposal
Trump, who addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos via video link on Thursday, said he wanted to work to reduce nuclear weapons, adding that he thought Russia and China could support reducing their own weapons capabilities.
“We would like to see denuclearization … and I can tell you that President Putin very much liked the idea of reducing nuclear weapons. And I think the rest of the world, we would have had them follow suit, and China would have come along as well,” Trump said.
The importance of expanded negotiation
Peskov said Putin had made it clear that he wanted to resume nuclear disarmament talks as soon as possible. However, he stressed that such negotiations would need to be broader than in the past. They should include the nuclear arsenals of other countries, such as France and Britain.
“So there is something to talk about, we need to talk. Time has been wasted in many respects. We have already spoken about this interest before, so the ball is in the court of the US, which has stopped all substantive contacts with our country,” Peskov said.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, is an agreement between the United States and Russia. It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads each country can deploy. It also regulates the deployment of land-based and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. The treaty is set to expire on February 5, 2026.
This is the last remaining pillar of nuclear arms control between the world's two largest nuclear powers.
Source: Dmitry Antonov and Andrew Osborn | Notícias Agrícolas
