MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - The main result of the Russian-U.S. consultations in Geneva on Wednesday is the sides' readiness to continue their contacts on strategic stability, Chairman of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky said.
"At this point, an important result of the meeting is the readiness of the Russian Federation and the U.S. to continue contacts on strategic stability issues," Slutsky told reporters on Wednesday.
The Russian parliamentarian additionally reiterated the need for the soonest possible launch of talks on prolonging the New START Treaty, which he described as the gold standard in the field of disarmament, but on condition that problems surrounding the United States' fulfillment of its norms are settled.
"We can't allow a situation where in February 2021 because of the U.S.' destructive policy the world could be left without instruments of control over the strategic offensive weapons of the two major nuclear states for the first time in decades. And Washington's unclear position on this issue remains a destructive factor," Slutsky said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday following the Russia-U.S. consultations on strategic stability in Geneva that no progress had been made thus far in the issue of prolonging the 2011 New START Treaty.