MOSCOW, Mar 10 Given the political will, London and Paris can would be included in the current Russian-American Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms, in which case it would be possible to find the necessary legal methods and appropriate wording, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
«We cannot abstract ourselves from those nuclear potentials that Great Britain and France have at their disposal… Of course, it would be possible to connect these countries to the START Treaty, if there was political will on their part. To be honest, I do not believe in the common sense and constructive approach of my colleagues in London and Paris, but we will continue to insist that without proper, adequate consideration of the potentials and capabilities of these countries — the closest US allies in NATO — no way forward in this key area,» Ryabkov said in an interview with RT Arabic.
Deputy Minister stressed that in any case, the nuclear potentials of France and Britain must be included in the future new equation of security and strategic stability, because «without this, sustainable arms control will no longer work.»
Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 21 in his message to the Federal Assembly announced that Russia was suspending participation in the Russian-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), stressing that the country was not withdrawing from the treaty. He noted that before returning to the discussion, it is necessary to understand what countries such as France and Great Britain claim and how to take into account their strategic arsenals, that is, NATO's combined strike potential. The official note on the suspension of Russia's participation in the Treaty was handed over to the American side on February 28.