MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Russia has no intention of pushing China toward potential trilateral talks with the US on arms control, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with International Affairs magazine.
"We have no issues with China regarding arms control and strategic stability. Therefore, we are not willing to cater to the ideas of analysts, political scientists, or even officials abroad by pressuring Beijing into such hypothetical trilateral efforts. This is not in our interests, and we will not engage in it," he said, commenting on the possibility of trilateral talks on nuclear stability involving the US, Russia, and China.
Russia has not received any official proposals from the United States regarding such trilateral dialogue, Ryabkov added. "In essence, proposals on this topic were made during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. Under the current administration, however, we have not formally received any such proposals, likely because the Americans now understand our position and logic: we have a relationship with the People’s Republic of China that is unique in terms of its depth and trust," the diplomat said.
According to him, Russia believes that if such negotiations take on a multilateral format, they should primarily include the US’s European allies that possess nuclear capabilities.
