Russia ready to meet Trump on nuclear weapons
MOSCOW — Russia expects to have a dialogue with the Trump administration on strategic stability, including on nuclear weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Mr. Lavrov added to reporters that such a dialogue could cover hypersonic weapons, a US missile shield in Europe, space weapons and nuclear testing.
He said that Russia was ready to meet with Donald Trump’s administration to discuss these issues after the US president-elect takes office.
Allegations of Russian cyber attacks are fabricated, he also said.
Mr. Lavrov said at a news conference that US intelligence agencies who had tried to prove that Mr. Trump had links to Russia have drawn a blank and should be fired.
The Russian minister also described as a charlatan the former British spy who wrote a dossier on Mr. Trump’s alleged links to Russia.
He added that the deployment of NATO troops in Baltic countries was a bad idea.
Russia has long complained that the United States and its allies have encroached into eastern Europe and threatened Russia’s national security.
ASTANA TALKS
One of the goals of upcoming Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital was to consolidate the frail truce in the wartorn country, he said.
“One of the objectives of the meeting in Astana is first of all to consolidate the cease-fire,” Mr. Lavrov said at his annual press conference, referring to talks that are to take place on Jan. 23.
Mr. Lavrov added that the talks would also serve as an opportunity to involve rebel field commanders in “the political process” to end bloodshed in Syria.
Organized by rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran, the meetings are the latest bid to put an end to the brutal war raging in Syria since March 2011.
Mr. Trump’s transition team has been invited to take part, but has not yet officially responded.
Mr. Lavrov said Tuesday it was “right to invite representatives of the UN and the new US administration” to the Astana talks, but did not say whether the incoming Trump administration had confirmed its attendance.
Russia and Turkey last month brokered a cease-fire in Syria but without the involvement of the United States, a negotiator in previous truces.
The truce went into effect on Dec. 30 and has brought calm to much of Syria although fighting continues in some regions.
Syrian rebel groups said Monday they will attend the talks.
If the Astana meetings are successful, they could bode well for fresh UNhosted political negotiations on the conflict set for next month in Geneva. — Reuters and AFP