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Neither Russia, Nor China Conducted Alleged Nuclear Tests in 2020 - Kremlin

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Neither Russia, nor China allegedly conducted any nuclear tests in 2020, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Sputnik
Last week, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno said that Washington has evidence that China allegedly conducted nuclear explosive tests in violation of moratorium and tried to hide it.
"We have heard many references to certain tests, and both Russia and China have been mentioned in this regard. Neither Russia, nor China have conducted any nuclear tests. And we also know that these confirmations were strongly rejected by representatives of the People's Republic of China, so the situation is like this," Peskov told reporters, answering the question whether Russia has its own data on this topic.

On Geneva Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving direct reports during the trilateral talks in Geneva, but currently it is too early to talk about any assessments, Peskov said.
Earlier in the day, a source told RIA Novosti that negotiations between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine have resumed in Geneva.
"It is too early to talk about this, of course, there are direct reports to the president, but it is too early to talk about any assessments," Peskov told reporters, answering a question about whether the Russian president had been informed about the interim results of the talks in Geneva.
If there is any information following the Geneva talks, then the head of Russian delegation, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will share it with the media, Peskov explained.

"At the moment, it is hardly necessary to talk about what was discussed. We need to wait for the completion of this round," Peskov told reporters, answering a question on messages about a discussion of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

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Other Statements

The question of why Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko right now should be addressed to Ukraine, Peskov said.
Zelensky signed the relevant decree to impose sanctions on Lukashenko earlier in the day.

"I find it difficult to comment on [that]. It is probably necessary to address this issue to representatives of the Ukrainian regime," Peskov told reporters when asked why Ukraine decided to impose sanctions against Lukashenko during the talks in Geneva.

Russia has already said it is ready to accept excess enriched uranium from Iran, Peskov said.
"We had an initiative, we declared our readiness to accept enriched uranium, it was discussed," Peskov told reporters when asked how acceptable it is for Russia that the United States offers to place uranium under their control for storage in the Middle East.
The solution of the Iranian nuclear issue is subject to negotiations between Iran and the United States, the official said, adding that it is wrong to anticipate their results.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Wednesday, Peskov said.
"Putin will also receive Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who is in Moscow on a visit, in the Kremlin. He has already had meetings with members of the Russian leadership, and today he will meet the president. It is clear that the meetings are of particular importance given the difficult period that friendly and fraternal Cuba is currently going through," Peskov told reporters.
Russia values relations with Cuba very much and plans to develop them further, the official said, adding that Russia consistently opposes the fuel blockade of Cuba and provides assistance to the country.
The Kremlin does not deal with platform blocking issues, this is the scope of responsibility of Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor, Peskov said.
"The Kremlin is not engaged in blocking Telegram or other platforms, other messengers, Roskomnadzor is engaged in this," Peskov told reporters when asked if the Kremlin was discussing a possible blocking of Telegram.
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