They confirm that Russia and the US will soon resume consultations on the START III treaty 2024-03-05 12:52:05

American and Russian diplomats will meet “in the near future” to discuss extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (also known as START III or New START), said US State Department spokesman Ned Price at a press conference this Tuesday.

“We have agreed that the Bilateral Consultative Commission (CCB) will meet in the near future,” Price informed journalists, reminding that the work of this commission is confidential. In Washington they hope for “a constructive meeting” and also believe in the “transformative power of diplomacy and dialogue,” he added.

Regarding the agenda that will be discussed, the spokesperson said that the dialogue will focus on risk reduction and indicated that Washington wants to ensure that the ability to exchange messages with Moscow “does not atrophy.” The parties also plan to propose the resumption of reciprocal inspections of strategic military infrastructure.

The official announcement regarding an upcoming meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission was anticipated by the Bloomberg agency and the Kommersant newspaper. Although Price did not mention the eventual location of the meeting, Bloomberg cited two sources in Moscow who mentioned Cairo as a possibility because it is a neutral location. For the Russian side, the Egyptian capital would be more acceptable than Geneva, given that Switzerland has shared the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union.

• The Bilateral Advisory Commission last met in October 2021.
• New START, also known as START III, is the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia. It will expire in 2026, unless renewed.
• Moscow suspended inspections under the treaty in August, citing the impact of Western sanctions on the travel and work of Russian inspectors in the US, giving an unfair advantage to the US side.
• The Russian Foreign Ministry promised that inspections will continue as soon as the principles of parity and equality are restored. Inspections had been interrupted in 2020 due to air traffic suspensions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.