FM Lavrov’s telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken

On February 4, Sergey Lavrov spoke by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Having congratulated his colleague on his appointment, the minister expressed willingness to conduct a constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues. Following the telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joseph Biden, the officials welcomed the extension of the New START Treaty on limiting strategic nuclear arms until 2026, which will improve the general situation in international security and strategic stability. They touched on the problem of making arms control predictable, considering the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty and the…