Moscow | Russia and the US could resume bilateral dialogue on controlling weapons of mass destruction, a prominent Russian daily reported on Friday, quoting a top arms control negotiator, even as relations between the two Cold War rivals remain at their lowest point over the Kremlin's military campaign in Ukraine.
"Recently, the American delegation has become more active in the work of the Conference on Disarmament. The rhetoric toward our country has noticeably changed, and sweeping anti-Russian accusations related to the Ukrainian crisis have ceased.
"And here one cannot help but notice the difference between the US position and that of the arch-Russophobes of Europe. US representatives have made it clear that they are interested in resuming working contacts at the conference," Russia's Permanent Representative in Geneva Gennady Gatilov was quoted as saying by Izvestia.
Gatilov noted that interaction with the US remains very limited, aside from sporadic contacts on issues of mutual interest. Following Donald Trump’s election victory, Washington adopted a wait-and-see attitude, focusing mainly on monitoring discussions, he said.
According to the media report, there are also chances for renewed cooperation in areas related to biological weapons.
At the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump has said that the US would lead international efforts to monitor biological weapons. Russia has welcomed the US' recognition of the need for a verification mechanism under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxic Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC).
Meanwhile, several key issues remain unresolved between Moscow and Washington on arms control, notably the fate of the New START Treaty, which expires in February 2026. President Vladimir Putin has proposed that both countries adhere to the treaty’s main provisions for another year to allow time for negotiating new agreements.
Trump responded positively, describing the proposal as a "good idea", though he did not elaborate on Washington's position.
Izvestia opined that the delay could be linked to the ongoing US government shutdown since October 1.
During Trump's first term, Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed in 1987. Russia subsequently imposed a unilateral moratorium on deploying such missiles, which it abandoned in August after the US began deploying intermediate- and shorter-range systems in the Philippines and Australia. American missiles are also expected to be deployed in Germany starting 2026.
The Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement has said that the current situation requires Moscow to take "compensatory military-technical measures to counter emerging threats and maintain strategic balance".
It noted that Russia tested its new Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic conventional warhead in November 2024, and Putin later indicated it could be deployed in Belarus in the second half of 2025.
Although negotiations on strategic stability remain suspended, Russian officials have reiterated that Moscow is ready for dialogue on security and strategic stability, but only on an equal footing, the report said.
