Putin offers US mutual non-interference in cyber field

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to the US on Friday to exchange guarantees of non-interference in internal affairs -- including in elections -- with the use of digital and cyber means against each other.

In a written statement by Kremlin, Putin also called on all countries to seal a "global agreement on a political commitment of states on no-first-strike".

To increase the trust between Russia and the US in the cyber field, Putin suggested the US a program for restoring bilateral cooperation in international information security.

The risk of a large-scale confrontation in the digital and cyber domain is "one of today’s major strategic challenges", Putin stressed, noting that the key players in ensuring international information security (IIS) have "a special responsibility".

"In this regard, we would like to once again address the US with a suggestion to agree on a comprehensive program of practical measures to reboot our relations in the field of security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)," Putin said.

Putin proposed to start from restoration and maintenance of a regular full-scale and high-level dialogue on the key issues of cyber security, including continuous contacts between Russian and US Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, Computer Emergency Readiness Teams, as well as high-level officials in charge.

He also offered to conclude a bilateral intergovernmental agreement on preventing incidents in the information space, similar to the former Soviet-American Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas signed in 1972.

"We call on the US to greenlight the Russian-American professional expert dialogue on IIS without making it a hostage to our political disagreements.

"These measures are aimed at building up trust between our States, promoting security and prosperity of our peoples. They will significantly contribute to ensuring global peace in the information space," Putin said.