Russia tells US: we need to talk, but Ukraine must be on agenda
Item
1 of 2 Firefighters work at a site of a household item shopping mall
hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in
Kharkiv, Ukraine May 25, 2024. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo
[1/2]Firefighters
work at a site of a household item shopping mall hit by a Russian air
strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine May 25,
2024. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights MOSCOW,
June 21 (Reuters) - Russia sees a pressing need for security talks with
the United States but they must be "comprehensive" and include the
subject of Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Friday.
"It
is impossible to rip out any individual segments from the general
complex of accumulated problems, and we will not do this," Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked if Moscow was ready to talk to
Washington about nuclear risks.
"So
we are open to dialogue, but to a broad comprehensive dialogue that
covers all dimensions, including the current dimension related to the
conflict around Ukraine, related to the direct involvement of the USA in
this conflict," Peskov told reporters.
The
United States rejects Russia's contention that by arming Ukraine it has
become a direct protagonist in a war aimed at inflicting a crushing
"strategic defeat" on Moscow. The U.S. says any negotiations over the
war are a matter for Ukraine.
The
Russian stance, as outlined by Peskov, is not new. But he told
reporters that the list of topics that Russia and the United States
needed to discuss was growing.
"Overall,
this dialogue is very much required," Peskov said. "It is needed
because problems are piling up, and there are a lot of problems
associated with the global security architecture."
From
Washington's point of view, it is Putin who, in the third year of the
war in Ukraine, is adding to the list of security concerns.
This
week he visited nuclear-armed North Korea, signed a mutual defence
agreement with its leader Kim Jong Un and said he might supply Russian
weapons to North Korea in response to the Western arming of Ukraine.
Putin
also reiterated on Thursday that he was considering reviewing Russia's
doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons. The last remaining arms control
treaty that limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that Russia
and the United States can deploy is due to expire in 2026.
Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; writing by Mark Trevelyan
Editing by Andrew Osborn