Moscow Believes That Containing Russia Will Remain Major Part of US Policy, Ambassador to US Says

Biden’s inauguration opens a door for Moscow and Washington to re-engage on key international security issues, including arms control, the Middle East, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told Sputnik in an interview. Sputnik: Have there been any preliminary contacts with the incoming Biden administration, and if so, what themes were raised? Anatoly Antonov: We did not have such [preliminary] contacts. However, many of the foreign policy nominees in the new government are familiar to us. They have held leadership positions in preceding administrations. We expect to start a substantial dialogue with our colleagues on pressing bilateral and international issues as new people take jobs in the White House, State Department, and other departments. Most of all, this is necessary to address the multitude of accumulated “irritants” in our [bilateral] relations. Sputnik: Do you expect Washington to agree to an extension of the New START treaty and is Russia ready to start consultations after 20 January? Anatoly Antonov: As is already known, Russia offered the United States the opportunity to extend the New START treaty , with no preconditions, more than one year ago. Unsurprisingly, this position ultimately led the bilateral consultations on the fate… Read full this story

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