The United States and Russia are working together effectively against nuclear proliferation threats posed by Iran and North Korea, the US ambassador to Moscow said yesterday.
William Burns praised US and Russian efforts to reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons and improve security at nuclear facilities but said both countries should undertake further efforts.
"There never has been a moment when America and Russia . . . have had a greater opportunity to demonstrate real leadership. It would be a huge mistake, not only for the two of us but for the sake of global order, to miss that opportunity," Mr Burns said in a speech at the Carnegie Moscow Center.
"Meanwhile, the United States and Russia are co-operating effectively on the two most immediate nuclear proliferation threats posed by other states, namely North Korea and Iran," he said.
As part of strengthening co-operation on nuclear issues, Mr Burns said both sides should "look ahead to the challenges and possibilities that lie beyond the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) treaty in 2009 and the Moscow Treaty in 2012.
"At the direction of our presidents, we have begun a strategic security dialogue to consider what we want in place when the Start Treaty expires, what further steps to pursue and what sort of transparency and confidence-building regime makes the most sense," he said.
The ambassador's comments come amid growing unease in Moscow about US intentions and policies in several different spheres.