OREANDA-NEWS. Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on military issues that Moscow is ready to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3) “immediately, as soon as possible, right before the end of this year.”

The head of state reminded of the approaching expiration of START III. “All our proposals to extend this agreement are on the table, we haven’t received any reaction from partners yet,” Putin said. According to him, Russia is ready to extend the treaty “without any preconditions.” “So that there would be no double or triple interpretation of our position,” he explained.

Putin’s statement followed in the context of the termination of another agreement – the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). In this regard, Russian President invited the participants of the meeting to discuss measures to prevent potential threats. “I emphasize that Russia is not interested in unleashing an arms race and deploying missiles where they are not. It is known that we announced a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of such missiles, and invited our colleagues in Europe and the United States to join. So far, only the President of the French Republic, Mr. Macron, has answered us. There is no reaction from other partners. It forces us to take measures to counter these threats,” the President stated.

The INF Treaty ceased to have effect on August 2, 2019. Six months before, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the treaty; then, Russia did the same. The parties accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement.