MOSCOW. Feb 18 (Interfax-AVN) - While proposing additional cuts in the nuclear arsenals, Washington should also take concrete steps to build trust and take its partners' concerns into account, said former head of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces' Main Staff, Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin.
"Russia has no stimuli to make additional nuclear disarmament steps, because the American partners and their allies do not want to heed Russia's concerns about the deployment of the American global missile defense system, about the enlargement of the rapid global strike potential and the United States' refusal to forge an agreement not to deploy strike systems in outer space," Yesin told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
Yesin was commenting on the U.S. administration's reported plans to make additional cuts in its nuclear arsenal.
The American proposals for additional reductions in the nuclear arsenals 'will get a cool reception in the Kremlin if the U.S. does not produce a 'carrot" taking Russia's concerns into account," he said.
Only concrete moves in reaction to these concerns can induce Moscow to revise its nuclear needs downwards, Yesin said.
NBC television earlier reported, citing sources in the White House that the United States is prepared to start new talks with Russia on further cuts in the number of warheads to 1,000 - 1,100.
Media reports said the Barack Obama administration has drawn up a memo on the likely cuts in the arsenal. An announcement is to be made in the coming weeks about the official completion of the work on this document.
The issue of nuclear arms cuts is expected to be raised in Moscow in February by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Rose Gottemoeller and National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon.