The last leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, called Wednesday for "
a normalization of relations
" between the United States and Russia, the day of the swearing-in of the elected American president Joe Biden.
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“
The current relationship is a source of great concern.
Unfortunately, this is a reality.
But it also means that something must be done to normalize relations,
”said Mikhail Gorbachev.
"
We need to talk to each other so that our intentions and our actions are clear,
" continued the former head of state, aged 89, taking the example of his experience at the head of the USSR: when "
we had resumed the dialogue, we had met at the highest level, after a six-year break!
".
“
You have to start somewhere.
We can't shut off each other
», Declared Mikhail Gorbachev, who called for dialogue between the two capitals and reiterated his call to extend the New Start nuclear disarmament treaty which expires on February 5th.
Successor of the Start I Treaty, signed in 1991 by Mikhail Gorbachev and George HW Bush, the New Start Treaty maintains the arsenals of the two countries well below their Cold War level.
In force since 2011, it limits the number of strategic nuclear launchers deployed to 700 and the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550.
The upcoming expiration, on February 5, of the New Start Treaty has been a source of tension between Washington and Moscow, who are arguing over the terms of its renewal.
