WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th March, 2019) Russian-US contacts at the level of the heads of the general staffs meet the security interests of the two countries and can have a positive impact on bilateral relations, boosting mutual trust, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov and US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford discussed the recent developments in Syria, as well as the situation around the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) during talks in Vienna on Monday.
"Unfortunately, contacts of such level have become extremely rare in recent years. It does not meet the security interests of Russia and the United States. Such meetings help strengthen trust and mutual understanding between our countries. Undoubtedly, international security gains from the results of a pragmatic dialogue between Russian and US generals," Antonov said in a statement on the embassy's Facebook page.
According to the head of the Russian diplomatic mission, in the past few days, many� in the United States were interested in the results of defense negotiations and expressed hope that the conversation between Gerasimov and Dunford would have a positive impact on Russian-US relations that need to be healed.
"I would like to support such sentiment," the ambassador said.
Antonov also expressed confidence that meetings between Russian and US senior defense officials were always necessary and in demand, especially amid numerous regional conflicts worldwide.
"Now, when the international arms control regime has been subjected to new tests in connection with Washington's decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty, the uncertainty of US plans for the future of the New START Treaty, as well as in connection with the US plans for the development of a global missile defense system, serious and frank a conversation between the defense ministries responsible for the security of our countries is important," Antonov said.
For months, the relations between the United States and Russia have been at what officials from both nations called the lowest point since the Cold War. Particularly, the deterioration of the relations followed Washington's allegations that Moscow had interfered with the 2016 US presidential election, won by Trump. Moscow has repeatedly denied these allegations saying that the United States has not presented evidence to substantiate them.
