Russia and the United States resumed contacts on arms control on Tuesday, a dialogue suspended since the start of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.
Russian Deputy Minister of Diplomacy, Sergei Ribkov, discussed “some current issues on arms control” with the new US ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, according to the official statement.
The talks came just a day after Tracy, who is fluent in Russian, handed over his credentials to the Russian diplomat.
On Monday, the US embassy in Moscow said Tracy “pays special attention to maintaining dialogue between the capitals of our countries in a period of unprecedented tension.”
Ribakov pointed out a few days ago that in the current situation there are no conditions for a meeting of the bilateral commission on the START III disarmament treaty, which expires in 2016.
The Russian official blamed the situation on the rhetoric and actions of the United States, Ukraine’s biggest arms supplier, which he also accused of incessantly provoking Moscow.
Washington suspended arms control dialogue with Moscow after the start of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.
As a result, Russia informed Washington in August of the decision to ban US on-site inspections of its nuclear weapons arsenal, citing difficulties in carrying out the same process in the US.
Before the resumption of the dialogue on November 29 in Egypt, Russia also unilaterally extended the bilateral commission meetings with the United States on New START.
In December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the US freeze in the strategic stability dialogue multiplies the risks.
At the same time, he recalled that the latest tangible result of the joint effort of Russia and the United States was the agreement to extend the START strategic arms reduction treaty for five years until February 5, 2026.
“It is clear that problems will accumulate due to the absence of negotiation work to maintain strategic stability. This could imply a multiplication of risks,” Lavrov said.
The head of Moscow diplomacy also stressed that the policy of the United States and NATO is aimed in practice at an armed conflict with Russia, which represents “a serious threat.”
“It is clear that this could lead to a direct conflict between nuclear powers with catastrophic consequences,” he stressed.
Source: TSF
