Bloomberg News
Russia and the United States this week postponed a new circular of talks on the New START Treaty, in what would have been the first such talk since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the commission guilty of implementing the 2011 treaty will meet at a later date, according to Tass, a state body. He gave no explanation for the reason for the delay. A State Department spokesman, commenting on the same old condition of anonymity, said Russia had postponed the assembly and that the United States was in a position to reschedule it as soon as possible.
The resumption of suspended inspections was expected to be one of the pieces of the timetable imaginable at the Nov. 29 meeting, but Russian officials downplayed hopes for a deal.
Russia banned U. S. inspectors from entering its nuclear weapons sites in August, citing the visa and restrictions for Russians imposed after the invasion. The two countries suspended on-site inspections in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were discussing how to restart safely. to them.
While the U. S. has disrupted most of the discussion with Russia about the invasion, some channels remain open. Central Intelligence Agency Director Williams Burns met in mid-November in Ankara with Russian foreign intelligence leader Sergei Naryshkin, reiterating Washington’s warnings to Moscow to use nuclear weapons. in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Joe Biden extended the New START treaty for five years in 2021, giving former Cold War rivals time for new discussions on strategic security. The commission that was scheduled to meet in Cairo last met in Geneva in October 2021. Russia no longer sees Switzerland as an impartial venue for such negotiations after joining U. S. sanctions against Ukraine.