When asked to comment on US President Donald Trump’s remark about Washington’s desire to discuss cutting back on such arms, Peskov said Russia is “certainly interested in starting the negotiation process as soon as possible,” adding that the ball is in Washington's court.

The same day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow will seek guarantees to ensure that Ukraine will never be admitted to NATO. “This is a key element of potential agreements on the conflict in Ukraine and an element of removing the root causes of this conflict,” he added. 

Grushko also argued that NATO’s policy of expanding its dominance worldwide increases the risk of a global armed conflict.