Russia ready to include ‘super weapons’ in arms control treaty: Ifax cites Lavrov

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that Russia was prepared to include the heavy Sarmat missile and the Avangard hypersonic missile in a new START strategic arms reduction treaty, should it be extended, Interfax reported.

Russia is also ready to demonstrate the Sarmat missile to the United States, Interfax cited Lavrov as saying on a talk show on Russian state television.

Lavrov also said that U.S. President Donald Trump had sent a short letter about the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Interfax news agency reported.

“US President Donald Trump sent a short letter in which he said that they are ready to continue looking for ways to overcome the problems in our relations,” Interfax cited the minister as saying on a TV talk show.

The letter was in response to Putin’s offer to introduce a moratorium on the development of missiles banned by the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, Interfax cited Lavrov as saying.

The US formally left the INF treaty with Russia in August after determining that Moscow was violating the treaty and had already deployed one banned type of missile, an accusation the Kremlin denies.