"We expect that we will eventually succeed in resolving issues related to the treaty’s implementation and agree with the US to extend it," he said, Tass reported.
The senior diplomat pointed out that Moscow "is interested in extending New START as much as the United States is interested in it."
"If the US refuses to do it, it won’t be a tragedy for us. We have ensured the country’s defense capabilities for the medium term," Ryabkov stated.
New START, which came into force in 2011, limits Russia and the US to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers.
The treaty is set to remain in effect for ten years (until 2021) unless a new document is signed to replace it. The document can also be extended for no more than five years (that is, until 2026) by mutual agreement of the parties.