Russia

The validity period of the New START will be extended by five years to February 5, 2026, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying in a statement issued on Friday. On Tuesday, Moscow and Washington exchanged notes on extending the key arms control pact.

The Black Sea Fleet will get five to six of the new vessels, and the fifth and sixth Project 22160 patrol ships are already being constructed, Vitko said on the development plans of the naval forces this year, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

At a plenary session on Wednesday, the State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, approved the bill submitted by Putin on Tuesday on the extension of the significant arms control pact between Russia and the US, the Xinhua news agency reported. The New START reached by the world's two largest nuclear powers cannot be "overestimated" and it is of great significance for the whole world, said State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.

The US Embassy has shown disregard for diplomatic rules and regulations by actively posting messages on social media in support of unsanctioned protests in Russian cities. Attempts by US diplomats to incite radical actions are doomed to failure and will have negative consequences for Moscow-Washington relations

"Russia stands in favour of the preservation of the New START and for the extension of this treaty, where a time lag could be used for conducting appropriate negotiations," Xinhua news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Friday. It is significant to take each other's concerns into consideration, Peskov said.

For the first time since the US presidential elections took place on November 3, 2020, President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Biden after the latter won the US Electoral College vote that officially determines the presidency.

Citing US officials, multiple media outlets reported that the Joe Biden administration would seek a full five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which expires on February 5.

In a statement on Sunday, Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service said its officers detained Navalny at the Sheremetyevo International Airport for his "systematic violations of the conditions of the probationary period", Xinhua news agency reported.

Pompeo on Tuesday alleged that Iran had become a "new home base" for al-Qaeda, doubling down the maximum pressure campaign against Iran before leaving office in less than 10 days.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted in November 2020 that Ambassador Antonov could attend the inauguration ceremony of the new US President. However, the participation of foreign countries' representatives at this event is not stipulated, he noted.