The Kremlin is open to security talks with the U.S., but only if the Ukraine conflict is also addressed, it says.

• Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated on Friday that Russia is willing to engage in "comprehensive" security discussions with the U.S., provided that the conflict in Ukraine is addressed.
• Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian security official, stated that discussions on a new treaty limiting nuclear weapons with the U.S. can only occur once Washington stops providing weapons to Ukraine and prevents its entry into NATO.
• Without fully withdrawing, Moscow suspended its participation in the treaty in February 2023, as ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated on Friday that Russia is willing to engage in "comprehensive" security discussions with the U.S., provided that the conflict in Ukraine is addressed.

Peskov stated that we are open to dialogue, but only if it is a broad and comprehensive dialogue that encompasses all aspects, including those related to the conflict in Ukraine and the role of the United States in it, as reported by Tass.

The U.S. State Department was contacted by CNBC to inquire about the possibility of the White House engaging in talks with Washington on nuclear risks, separate from the Ukrainian conflict.

Russia has been excluded from Western diplomacy efforts to resolve the conflict with Kyiv, including not being invited to the June 15-16 summit on peace in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian security official, stated in a Google-translated Telegram update that discussions on a new treaty limiting nuclear weapons with the U.S. can only occur once the U.S. stops providing weapons to Ukraine and prevents its entry into the NATO alliance.

Kyiv's ambition to join the West-led military alliance has been viewed as a threat to Moscow's security, leading to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite Kyiv's desire for membership, it cannot accede to the coalition while an active conflict is ongoing on its territories.

Medvedev wrote that the U.S. should develop according to a completely different scenario, where it enters a state of "total psychosis" out of fear of Russian bomb and missile attacks.

"Let their entire elite worry! Let them tremble and shake," he wrote.

During his presidency from 2008 to 2012, Medvedev was among the signatories of the New START treaty in 2010, alongside Obama. This agreement, which took effect in 2011 and was renewed for another five years in 2021, set limits on the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic nuclear warheads that Russia and the U.S. could deploy.

The agreement allowed for up to 18 annual inspections of each other's strategic nuclear weapons sites to ensure compliance.

Russia has suspended its participation in the nuclear arms control treaty in February 2023, but has not fully withdrawn from it. Since then, Russia has rejected U.S. proposals for dialogue on nuclear arms control, while the White House continues to support Ukraine militarily.

According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in a January news conference that neither the United States nor NATO appear to be interested in resolving the Ukrainian conflict and addressing Russia's concerns.

This year, Putin threatened NATO with the possibility of nuclear war if they followed French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy Western troops into Ukraine.

Putin stated in his annual state-of-the-nation address in February that the West should understand that they possess weapons capable of targeting their territory, and that the threat of nuclear weapons and the annihilation of civilization is imminent.

The possibility of nuclear conflict has influenced the strategic planning of NATO in its support for Kyiv. Russia possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, with a total of 5,580 warheads as of March, surpassing the U.S.'s combined stock of 5,044 warheads.