To discuss the New START agreement. US-Russia meeting expected in Egypt Meeting to discuss New START treaty on nuclear weapons
Officials from the United States and Russia are expected to meet in Egypt from November 29 to December 6 to discuss key nuclear arms control agreements.
The meetings on New START — the only remaining agreement regulating the world's two largest nuclear arsenals — come in the wake of Moscow's nuclear threats to Ukraine and after complications related to treaty-related inspections.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed on Thursday the date and venue of the meeting to discuss the New START agreement.
A State Department spokesman did not confirm details, but said they had "scheduled a meeting of the Bilateral Advisory Commission (BCC) with Russia to discuss the implementation of the New START treaty."
"As we have done throughout the duration of the treaty, the United States will engage with the Conduct Coordination Committee in a constructive and professional manner without discussing further details," the spokesman said, adding that the U.S. goal of the agreement, as always, is to ensure the full implementation of the treaty, including its verification regime.
Inspection of weapons sites
The treaty was last extended in early 2021 for five years. Under the treaty, Washington and Moscow conduct inspections of each other's weapons sites. However, inspections have been halted since 2020 due to the pandemic, and tensions emerged when the United States tried to resume inspections earlier this year.
A U.S. administration official said Biden administration officials view the New START talks later this month as a positive development, though they do not expect the talks to lead to an immediate resumption of site inspections.
Administration officials said the desire to discuss the arms control agreement, even as Russia wages its war in Ukraine, shows Moscow's commitment to diplomacy.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told a briefing last week: "Around the world, we deeply believe in the transformative power and importance of diplomacy and dialogue. And when it comes to Russia, of course we are clear and realistic about what the dialogue between the United States and Russia can entail, what it can entail, and what it can achieve. "We focused on reducing the risks in these talks, but we were very careful to make sure that our countries' ability to pass messages back and forth and engage in dialogue didn't atrophy."