“The situation in general with the agreements on arms limitation reached in previous periods is developing very dramatically.

The United States, as you know, destroyed almost the entire system of previous agreements, so any willingness to come to an agreement, albeit a temporary one, is a positive circumstance, "Novikov emphasized.

The MP expressed the opinion that regardless of China's participation or non-participation, "the agreement must live and work."

“We know the position of China, which does not agree with its inclusion in the corresponding algorithms.

The United States is actively playing the Chinese card from the point of view that without China, this kind of agreement loses its meaning in the future.

I believe that both the preservation of the previous agreements and the possible conclusion of new ones with the participation of a larger circle of participants will certainly contribute to the achievement of such a climate that will prevent the outbreak of new full-scale wars, ”the parliamentarian concluded.

Earlier in an interview with Kommersant, Billingsley said that Russia had been asked to prepare a memorandum on weapons, which does not require ratification, and would later lead to a framework concept and a full-fledged multilateral treaty.

Billingsley said the future treaty should be multilateral and involve China.

He also noted that if such an agreement at the presidential level is reached, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty will be extended for a period of less than five years.