MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax) - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reaffirmed Russia's readiness to continue the dialogue with the United States "with facts in hand" in order to save the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
"I discussed the issue in detail with the respected minister [German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas], and the Russian side has confirmed that despite the failure of the consultations held by the Russian and U.S. experts in Geneva caused by the United States' ultimatum, we are still ready to continue a professional and specific discussion and to present facts in order to try to save this key treaty, which provides a great degree of strategic stability," Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with the German foreign minister in Moscow on Friday.
"We definitely understand Europeans' concern about the situation, because today's politicians and diplomats still remember the crisis in Europe caused by the deployment of U.S. Pershing missiles in the last century," Lavrov said.