He made the statement as Russian and US officials met in Turkey on Thursday to discuss the restoration of bilateral relations.

In an interview with RIA Novosti news agency on the sidelines of a high-level week of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Switzerland, Vershinin said the high-level segment of the conference on disarmament is underway and Russia supports the renewal of such strategic agreements. But this requires thorough preparations, said Vershinin.

The Russia-US New START treaty is set to expire on February 5, 2026 and discussions between Moscow and Washington on the future of strategic arms control have been absent in recent times.

Earlier Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, said that the US is not yet ready to resume serious discussions with Russia on nuclear disarmament.