Russia's President Vladimir Putin makes his annual New Year address to the nation in Moscow, Russia, December 31, 2016. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday disputed a statement by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama on nuclear arms cuts, saying Russia had always been ready to consider making proportional cuts to its arsenal.

Obama said overnight he had told President Vladimir Putin he was ready to proceed with nuclear disarmament, but that Russia didn’t want to negotiate.

“The Russian side always favored a proportional and fair process of nuclear disarmament,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “It can’t be disproportional.”