US Should Rejoin JCPOA without Preconditions, Russia Says

"We believe that the US return to the JCPOA should be without any preconditions. Our partners and we are ready for meaningful work in this area, and we are ready to help the Americans to step on the path of correction. This is in our shared interest," the Russian ministry said in a statement on Monday following a ministerial meeting of the E3/EU+2 -- France, Germany, Britain, China, Russia plus Iran, which was held virtually on Monday, TASS reported.

The meeting was chaired by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell.

During the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed, "We hope that not only the current members of the JCPOA, but Washington as well, take note of this signal. Strict adherence to the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by the American side is not a matter of choice, it is an obligation of any state stipulated in Article 25 of the UN Charter”.

"The Russian side stressed that the recipe for the normalization of the JCPOA is within the plan itself: it’s the path of steady adherence to the agreements by all states that developed and signed them," the statement further said.

The meeting was initially planned to be held in Vienna on December 16, however, it was later moved online.

The delegations of the remaining parties, namely Iran, China, Russia, the UK, France and Germany spoke remotely from the capitals of the parties to the deal and issued a joint statement at the conclusion of the informal online meeting.

"JCPOA participants re-emphasized their commitment to preserve the agreement and stressed their respective efforts in this regard. They discussed that full and effective implementation of the JCPOA by all remains crucial and discussed the need to address ongoing implementation challenges, including on nuclear non-proliferation and sanctions lifting commitments," read part of the statement.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA.