Russia delays nuclear arms talks with US, says State Department

• Talks were set to begin in Egypt today on the New START Treaty’s Bilateral Consultative Commission.
• The US State Department says Russia took the move “unilaterally”; no explanation was given.

The Biden administration attributed Russia’s decision to postpone talks about the two countries’ nuclear armaments deal that were set to begin in Egypt today, with a State Department spokesperson claiming that Russia took the move “unilaterally.”

“The United States and the Russian Federation were set to convene a meeting of the New START Treaty’s Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss New START Treaty implementation on Tuesday, November 29. The Russian side informed the United States that Russia has unilaterally postponed the meeting and stated that it would propose new dates,” the spokesperson said.

The US “is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible date as resuming inspections is a priority for sustaining the treaty as an instrument of stability,” the spokesperson added.

Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti was informed by the Russian Foreign Ministry that the meetings had been postponed, but no explanation for the delay was provided.

“The session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission on the Russian-American START Treaty, previously scheduled in Cairo (November 29 – December 6), will not take place on the dates indicated. The event has been postponed to a later date,” the ministry said.

It is yet unknown when the talks will be rescheduled.

The New START Treaty places restrictions on how many nuclear weapons with an intercontinental range can be deployed by the US and Russia. According to the agreement, Washington and Moscow inspect one other’s arsenals. But since 2020, COVID-19 checks have been stopped.

The agreement was last extended for five years in early 2021. According to the agreement, Washington and Moscow inspect one other’s arsenals. Due to the pandemic, inspections had been suspended since 2020; however, when the US attempted to resume inspections earlier this year, difficulties occurred.

The fact that the New START discussions are taking place is seen favorably by Biden administration officials, especially considering that they were scheduled to take place after Moscow’s nuclear saber-rattling toward Ukraine.

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