US Special Envoy for Arms Control Billingslea Says Russia, China 'Arms Racing'

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2020) US Special Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea said on Thursday that Russia and China are involved in an arms race and emphasized that trilateral talks on arms control are needed to move forward from the current position.

"I am really curious, who is arms racing here. Now, certainly it's not us, and it's neither us nor the United Kingdom nor France. The arms race is happening with Russia and China right now," Billingslea said. "That's precisely what the President's made clear: trila[te]rization is where we need to go."

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would like the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) - the last remaining arms control treaty in force between Russia and the United States - to continue under a new five-year extension so that any new ideas could be considered without rushing.

US President Donald Trump has said he would propose a new trilateral arms control initiative to include Russia and China to help avoid a costly arms race. The announcement came amid debates on the future of the New START, which expires in February 2021.

Russia has repeatedly invited the United States to extend the New START for another five years without preconditions. However, the Trump administration has signaled that it favors negotiating an amended arms control regime that would also include China and possibly the United Kingdom and France.