MOSCOW. June 23 (Interfax) - China is unlikely to agree to join strategic stability talks in the foreseeable future, but Moscow has no doubt that prospective arms control talks should be multilateral, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax on Tuesday.
"We actually think that prospective arms control talks should be multilateral, because after the conclusion of the New [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] START Treaty and its fulfillment, we reached a limit beyond which further potential reductions in the relevant systems would be impossible on a bilateral basis between Russia and the United States without the involvement of other countries which possess nuclear potential in the talks," Ryabkov said.
"At the same time, I cannot help but mention the other part of our stance, which is integrated into the first one," Ryabkov said. "We cannot 'force' or 'persuade' anyone to join such talks. Any decision of this nature and scale must be taken by the relevant country on its own, after proper analysis and profound consideration of all the pros and cons," he said.
"We are well aware of China's stance, we respect it, and we see no signs indicating that the Chinese stance will change in the foreseeable future the way the United States would like it to," Ryabkov said.