The Russian government stated on Friday that it believes there is an urgent need for security discussions with the US, but that they must be "comprehensive" and cover the issue of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
When asked if Moscow was prepared to discuss nuclear threats with Washington, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded, "It is impossible to rip out any individual segments from the general complex of accumulated problems, and we will not do this."
Peskov told the reporters that "So we are open to dialogue, but to a broad comprehensive dialogue that covers all dimensions, including the current dimension related to the conflict around Ukraine, related to the direct involvement of the USA in this conflict."
The Russian argument that, by equipping Ukraine, it has directly entered a conflict to deliver a devastating "strategic defeat" to Moscow is refuted by the United States. According to the US, Ukraine should handle any discussions on the conflict.
Peskov told reporters that although the Russian position is not new, there was a growing list of issues that the US and Russia needed to talk about.
"In general, this dialogue is highly necessary," stated Peskov. "It is needed because problems are piling up, and there are a lot of problems associated with the global security architecture."
As the third year of the Ukraine-Russia war, Washington believes that Putin is the one raising new security issues.
This week, he went to nuclear-armed North Korea, inked a mutual defence pact with its leader Kim Jong Un, and indicated that he would provide North Korea with Russian weaponry in retaliation for the West arming Ukraine.
Additionally, Putin reaffirmed on Thursday that he was thinking about reconsidering Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine. 2026 will mark the end of the final arms control treaty that restricts the quantity of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia may deploy.
