Russia: ‘Too Early to Comment’ on Trump’s Sanctions for Nuke Cuts Offer

Spokesman: Russia Won't Discuss Deals Until Trump Takes Office

Questioned on President-elect Donald Trump’s comments about possibly lifting sanctions on Russia in return for an agreement on nuclear arms reduction, the Russian government appeared dismissive, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it was “too early” to comment on the matter.

Peskov didn’t provide any hints on if Russia was at all interested in the idea, saying only that Russia didn’t intend to discuss any deals with Trump until Trump actually takes office, which is to happen on Friday. Previous reports had suggested Russia was expecting sanctions relief more or less as soon as Trump took office.

Over the last few days, Trump has insisted that he will keep sanctions in place when he takes office, though he did hold out the prospect of offering sanctions relief to Russia for a deal in which their nuclear arsenal was “reduced very substantially.”

Trump’s comments came in an interview with the Times of London, and it is unsurprising that the Russians did not comment simply based on that interview, as it did not include any specific details on what exactly he was proposing. \

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.