[NTDNewsJuly292021Beijingtime]On Wednesday (28th), senior diplomats from the United States and Russia held consultations on arms control and other strategic issues. The US State Department called this a “substantial and professional” meeting.
After the Tianjin talks, the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman went to Geneva, Switzerland, and held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the two of them have agreed to hold another round of high-level talks in late September. Price said the US team will travel to Brussels on Thursday to brief NATO allies on the talks.
This strategic negotiation was conducted as Russia was building up military forces in the Arctic and testing its latest weapons, including unmanned stealth torpedoes powered by nuclear reactors. This is the first in a series of planned contacts between the two countries to improve communication between the two countries and reduce diplomatic misjudgments.
Washington and Moscow disagree on a series of issues, from ransomware to the Beixi 2 pipeline, from the Ukraine issue to the detention of Americans. The Biden administration emphasized that they are still seeking cooperation with Moscow in areas of common concern, including climate change.
The new developments reflect that the United States and Russia attach great importance to avoiding a new nuclear arms race. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief statement that Wednesday’s talks had a comprehensive discussion on “the two sides’ methods of maintaining strategic stability, the prospects for arms control, and measures to reduce risks”.
A senior U.S. State Department official who participated in the talks stated that the U.S. is satisfied with the initial exchanges between the two countries and hopes that this will be the beginning of a “continuous and fruitful dialogue” on arms control and other strategic issues. “We expressed our goals and principles, that is, what is the next step in arms control,” the official said. “The Russians did the same.”
Since former President Trump (Trump) assumed the presidency, the United States has insisted that the CCP should be part of all new arms control agreements. So far, the CCP has refused to consider this proposal. The senior US official said that during Wednesday’s talks, the US delegation expressed concern about the CCP’s growing nuclear capabilities and Beijing’s refusal to discuss the issue.
This is the first time the US and Russia have held talks on strategic stability in a series of conflicts on issues including arms control in the past year. According to the Russian TASS News Agency (TASS), Ryabkov expressed satisfaction with the consultations.
A key obstacle to the talks is Russia’s demand that the United States stop restrictions on its missile defense system. The Russians regard this as a long-term threat, while the Americans regard it as a deterrence of war.
The Biden administration hopes that Moscow agrees to restrict its non-strategic nuclear weapons, which are outside the scope of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (NEW START). Some arms control experts believe that this brings the possibility of checks and balances, because the negotiations cover not only missile defense but also non-strategic weapons.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association (Arms Control Association), said Wednesday’s Geneva talks are a positive step, but the two sides need to speed up the pace of the meeting because it aims to reduce the entire series of nuclear weapons. Negotiation goals must begin as soon as possible. He said that negotiations should begin before the end of this year.
(Reporter Li Zhaoxi/Zhang Jie)
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