Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that he expressed his regret over the expiration of the New START Treaty (also known as "New START"), but indicated that Russia will maintain a responsible approach to strategic stability, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"The term of this treaty has expired and we assess this development as negative and express our regret", Peskov stressed. He indicated that Moscow respectfully accepts Beijing's decision not to participate in nuclear arms negotiations at this stage.
At the same time, Peskov noted that he could neither confirm nor deny the claim that French presidential adviser on diplomatic affairs Emmanuel Bonne had been in Moscow these days.
A French representative said that Bonne had visited Moscow on Tuesday, where he had talks with Russian representatives. The Kremlin spokesman said that people in French diplomatic circles tend to spread such information in the media.
In connection with the case of the scandalous financier Jeffrey Epstein, Peskov stressed that he did not want to waste unnecessary time answering questions about unconfirmed suggestions in Western media, as well as commenting on the statement of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said that Epstein was connected to Russian intelligence.
On Tuesday, Tusk announced that Warsaw would launch an investigation into possible links between Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes, and Russian intelligence services, as well as potential consequences for Poland related to the affair.