New START talks in deadlock due to U.S. - Lavrov

Talks between Moscow and Washington on a new treaty designed to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) are making no progress due to the American side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference in New York on Monday.

“These talks are dragging because our American colleagues oppose any restrictions on weapons delivery hardware and nuclear warhead storage,” Lavrov stated.

Washington only agrees to limit nuclear warhead deployment, he said. The U.S. position undermines “strategic stability and the parity that has been the pillar of strategic balance,” said Lavrov.

Lavrov also believes that “indivisibility of security in the world is recently violated permanently.” He cited as an example U.S. ABM elements in Europe, the NATO expansion, the movement of the Alliance infrastructure, the deployment of new bases in Bulgaria and Romania. “The parity as the basis of the strategic balance in the world has been violated,” Lavrov noted.

“One can't ensure security in detriment of others,” the Russian minister stressed.

Meanwhile, according to the Russian Foreign Minister, Russia’s military and technical ties with Syria do not pose a threat to the balance of power in the Middle East.

Sergey Lavrov said the cooperation between the countries was “in line with the international law” and “in the interests of strengthening stability and maintaining security” in regions close to Russia's borders.

“We are not doing anything that could upset the balance of power in this or that region,” Lavrov stressed.