“This is an unacceptable proposal,” the diplomat said, answering a TASS request to comment on the initiative, voiced earlier in the day by US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea.

Speaking at a video conference, organized by the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, Billingslea said his country was ready to extend the New START if both states agree to a limitation or freeze of their nuclear arsenals.

“We are, in fact, willing to extend the New START Treaty for some period of time, provided that they, in return, agree to a limitation or freeze on their nuclear arsenal. We are willing to do the same,” he said. “We have proposed a compromise: agree with us to freeze, and we will extend the New START for some period of time.”

“We are ready to strike this deal, we could strike it tomorrow, in fact, but Moscow is going to have to show the political will to do so as well,” Billingslea added.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) entered into force on February 5, 2011. The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and strategic bombers.

The New START Treaty will remain in force for 10 years, until 2021, unless it is replaced before that date by a subsequent agreement on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. It can also be extended for no longer than 5 years (that is, until 2026) by the parties’ mutual consent.

Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington not to delay prolongation of the treaty it describes as the gold standard in the area of disarmament.

In an interview with the Financial Times in late June 2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that once this treaty ceased to exist, “then there would be no instrument in the world to restrict the arms race.”

“I certainly would invite Putin to the G7 meeting. I think he’s an important factor,” Trump told a White House briefing on Monday answering a question.

Trump also told reporters he was considering plans of holding the G7 summit after the November election. “I’m much more inclined to do it sometime after the election.”

According to Trump, the US has not yet formally invited leaders. “We haven’t sent out invitations. We’re talking to them,” he said, noting that there were plans on inviting countries that aren’t formal members of the G7, TASS reported.

The summit, which was due to be held at Camp David in June, was later postponed until September. Trump earlier announced plans to invite Russia, Australia, India, and South Korea to this meeting.

The G7 is a group of industrialized nations that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The group held its first meeting in 1975. The G7 was renamed the G8 in 1997 when Russia joined the club. However, following the 2014 events in Ukraine that created a crisis in relations between Russia and the West, the group’s Western members decided to revert to the G7 model.

“In June، the United States commenced talks with Russia on the New START accord. The United States is cautiously optimistic that we can reach an agreement with Moscow and China on a framework for arms control that seeks to limit all nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner،” Robert O’Brien said.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) entered into force on February 5، 2011.

The deal stipulates that seven years after it goes into effect، each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)، submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and strategic bombers، as well as no more than 1،550 warheads on deployed ICBMs، deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers، and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed missile launchers.

The document will remain in force for 10 years، until February 5، 2021، unless it is replaced before that date by a subsequent agreement on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. It can also be extended for no longer than 5 years (that is، until 2026) by the parties’ mutual consent.

Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington not to delay prolongation of the treaty it describes as a golden standard in the area of disarmament.