Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov confirmed on Wednesday that the next round of consultations on strategic stability between the United States and Russia is scheduled in Geneva at the end of September.
Ryabkov noted that it’s is a working process devoid of anything sensational, but us still rather intensive and requires detailed coordination of the schedules of the representatives of a whole number of structures since the meetings are held in an interagency format.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave more detailed explanation of the panned meeting in his statement last week, saying the talks will cover a broader range of strategic arms, both nuclear and non-nuclear ones.
Lavrov reiterated that the mutual understanding of the unacceptability of a nuclear war was not only voiced in a joint statement issued by presidents Putin and Biden after their June summit, but also confirmed through concrete actions on the negotiation track, adding that he believes Russia and the US are interested in finding a common denominator.
Biden and Putin agreed in June at their first meeting in Geneva to launch a Strategic Stability Dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures and the first face-to-face round of the dialogue was held in Geneva on July 28 at the Permanent Mission of the USA to the UN’s Office in Geneva.
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was the head of the US delegation that discussed approaches to maintaining strategic stability, prospects for arms control and measures to reduce risks with the Russian delegation led by Ryabkov.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed at the time the US delegation discussed, among other things, US policy priorities and its perceptions of threats to strategic stability.
Following the dialogue, Pentagon informed about the telephone call the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had on Aug. 11 with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the results of bilateral consultations on strategic stability, as well as issues of global and regional security, supporting the transparency and risk-reduction efforts following the resumption of the dialogue.
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