Dialogue over strategic stability halted by U.S., Russia never quit it - Ryabkov

MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - The dialogue between Russia and United States over strategic stability was suspended by Washington, not Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

"We did not withdraw from our dialogue with the U.S. over strategic stability. It was suspended by Washington, seemingly in the illusion, in the opinion that we needed this dialogue more than Washington did. Not at all," Ryabkov said on the Big Game program on Channel One on Saturday.

"I responsibly declare that over all these past few years we have been emphasizing that there were and could be no concessions on Russia's part. There will be no step toward, no meeting halfway of any U.S. wants and wishes. For too long we saw that we were not being heard, our sensing of the unwillingness in Washington to at least take into account the least of our core interests in security was far too deep for this sort of repetition of mistakes of the past," Ryabkov said.