PRESS RELEASE

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Gorbachev: United States and Russia Must Relaunch Nuclear Talks

Oct. 10, 2016 (EIRNS)—Former U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev told Sputnik today that the United States and Russia must get over their mutual distrust and restart negotiations, beginning with the nuclear issue.

Gorbachev stated,

"Current Russian-U.S. relations are escalated, tense. There was a collapse of mutual trust. I expressed my opinion many times. It is necessary to relaunch negotiations on the entire agenda, not fixing on the regional issues. First of all, [talks must be relaunched] on the nuclear issue."

On Oct. 3, the U.S. State Department announced it was suspending bilateral channels with Russia which had been established to sustain a cessation-of-hostilities agreement in Syria. Russia responded by suspending nuclear cooperation in scientific research and development in the nuclear and energy sectors, and in the plutonium-disposal agreement.

"I think the world has come to a dangerous point. I would not like to give specific advice, but I want to say it is necessary to stop. It is necessary to resume the dialogue. Abandoning it was the gravest mistake,"

Gorbachev said.