ST. PETERSBURG. June 20 (Interfax) - The situation in arms control requires urgent talks between the United States and Russia, but such talks are being thwarted by the poor state of the bilateral relationship, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
"Overall, the current situation in the field of arms control and strategic security is more bad than good, it needs urgent negotiations: both bilateral Russian-American and in a wider format," Peskov said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
For such talks to be held there needs to be a potential, he said.
"Currently our relations with Washington are so bad and at such a low point that for now concrete dialogue is out of the question," Peskov said.
Still, "Russia is ready for such a dialogue, it believes it is vital," he added.
When asked if the two sides maintained some kind of contact over the issue, he replied in the negative.
Also, talks over strategic security are impossible without France and Britain which, too, possess nuclear weapons, Peskov said.