After months of no contact due to the Russia-provoked war in Ukraine which has sparked a spiral of confrontation and dangerous nuclear saber-rattling, American and Russian diplomats will meet to discuss the resumption of nuclear weapons inspections.
American and Russian diplomats are expected to meet in the coming weeks to talk about resuming inspections of atomic weapons sites in a small step toward reviving the suspended arms-control talks, the State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Price said that a Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) – the bilateral mechanism for discussing treaty implementation issues under the New START treaty – meeting is in the works but declined to say when or where they would take place.
He only pointed out that the meeting wouldn’t be held in its usual venue in Geneva due to sanctions Switzerland imposed on Moscow, but sources in Moscow pointed to Cairo as the likely destination for the continuation of the talks.
Price noted that the work of the BCC is confidential but expressed hope for a constructive session, adding that when it comes to Russia, the US is clear-eyed and realistic about what it can accomplish.
Unless renewed, the New START, which is the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia, is set to expire in 2026.
Last year, just a month before it was set to expire, and President Biden agreed with Russian President Putin to a five-year extension of the treaty, giving the former Cold War rivals time for new talks on strategic security.
Noting that the conversations are focused on risk reduction, Price added that the US wants to prevent the ability to pass messages back and forth with Russia from atrophying.
Despite cutting most contacts after Putin’s attack on Ukraine in February, the US has left remain some channels with Russia, and some officials in Moscow even called for a possible successor treaty to New START.
Washington, however, said that’s not possible until the inspections resume, calling instead for a resumption of broader dialogue in the meantime.
Though she declined to comment on reports that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently held secret talks with President Vladimir Putin’s aides in an effort to halt the slide toward nuclear escalation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed on Monday the high-level contacts the US had with Russia over the course of the past few months.
Jean-Pierre also emphasized that the Biden administration reserves the right to speak directly at senior levels about issues of concern to the US.
The BCC, which handles practical matters regarding the implementation of the New START deal, last met in Geneva in October 2021 although the on-site inspections were suspended in both countries because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Back in August, Russia barred US inspectors from its nuclear weapons sites citing visa and travel restrictions for Russians that will prevent them from reaching the US sites.
