- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was open to talks with the United States but that they must cover “all aspects,” including the Ukraine conflict. The United States has said any negotiations over the war should be conducted by Ukraine.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said Russia could supply weapons to North Korea to counter Western arms sales to Ukraine.
- Putin also reiterated that he is considering revising Russia’s doctrine on using nuclear weapons. The last arms control treaty, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads Russia and the United States can deploy, is set to expire in 2026.
Russia sees an urgent need for security consultations with the United States, but the talks must be “comprehensive” and include the Ukraine issue, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Asked whether Moscow was ready to discuss nuclear risks with the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It is impossible to separate individual parts from the whole of the accumulated problems and we are not going to do that.”
“So we are open to dialogue, but we are open to a comprehensive dialogue that covers all aspects, including the current aspects related to the conflict around Ukraine, the aspects related to the direct involvement of the United States in this conflict,” Peskov told reporters.
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The United States denies Russian allegations that by supplying weapons to Ukraine it has become a direct actor in a war aimed at inflicting a crushing “strategic defeat” on Moscow. The United States has said any negotiations over the war are a Ukrainian matter.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 14, 2023. Peskov said on June 21, 2024 that Russia is open to talks with the United States, but only if they discuss all elements of the “accumulated problems,” including U.S. intervention in Ukraine. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)
The Russian stance Peskov described is not new, but he told reporters the list of issues Russia and the United States need to discuss is growing.
“Overall, this dialogue is very necessary,” Peskov said. “We need dialogue because there are a lot of problems, there are a lot of issues related to the global security system.”
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From Washington’s perspective, as the Ukraine war enters its third year, it is President Putin who is adding a new item to the list of security concerns.
This week he visited nuclear-armed North Korea, signed a mutual defence pact with the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and said Russia could supply weapons to North Korea in response to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Putin also reiterated on Thursday that he was considering revising Russia’s doctrine on using nuclear weapons. The last arms control treaty, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads Russia and the United States can deploy, is set to expire in 2026.
