Officials at the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Friday that Russia and the U.S. were not contemplating any agreement to the effect, and were highly unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future. This does not mean, however, that the two sides do not cooperate in the nuclear field, the officials pointed out.
On the other hand, the media are absolutely correct in reporting that Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov raised nuclear issues during his latest visit to Washington D.C., Foreign Ministry spokespeople said. The non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear or otherwise, is constantly in the focus of discussions between U.S. and Russian officials, including representatives of the defense departments, they added,
quoting Mr Ivanov as saying that "the fight against a realistic threat such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is one of the least conflict-provoking, the clearest, and the most obvious areas of Russo-American cooperation" and that Moscow and Washington "have no disagreements" here.
