OREANDA-NEWS. RIA Novosti news agency reports that Russia has offered to the United States to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) for five years or lesser time. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov.

According to the diplomat, an extension for a shorter period of time would be “not an optimal signal,” in particular for the international community, which is waiting for Moscow and Washington to prove adherence to arms control. “But at least it’s better than nothing,” Ryabkov concluded.

The politician also added that there are only two regular sessions of the advisory commission on the agreement. Ryabkov noted that Russia may hold additional meetings to resolve the START III issues, but the United States is not ready for a “substantive discussion on this matter.”

In 2010, American and Russian presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed START III. The treaty limits the number of nuclear warheads deployed in two countries, the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, provides for some other restrictions, as well as data exchange and mutual inspections of Moscow and Washington. The agreement expires in 2021.

John Bolton, the former security adviser to US President Donald Trump, said that extending START III is hardly probable. Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, noted that the treaty will follow a “sad fate” of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which officially ceased to remain valid in August, 2019.

From November 6 till November 13, the representatives of Moscow and Washington discussed the implementation of START III in Geneva.