"Given the expiration of START III in early February 2021, we strongly urge the extension of the treaty, as well as negotiations on broader subsequent agreements," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
At the same time, he added that the EU will continue to urge the United States and the Russian Federation to further reduce their arsenals, including strategic and non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed nuclear weapons.
Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Russia and the United States to immediately extend the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START) for five years.