After months of no contact due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, American and Russian diplomats will meet to discuss the resumption of nuclear weapons inspections.
Diplomats are expected to meet in the coming weeks to talk about resuming inspections of atomic weapons sites in a small step toward reviving the suspended arms-control talks.
As the State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed during a press briefing on Tuesday, a Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) – the bilateral mechanism for discussing treaty implementation issues under the New START treaty – meeting is in the works.
Unless renewed, the New START, which is the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia, is set to expire in 2026. Last year, just a month before it was set to expire, both countries agreed to a five-year extension of the treaty.
Referring to a previous Bloomberg News report on the matter, Price noted that the work of the BCC, which will meet in the near future, is confidential, but expressed hope for a constructive session noting Washington believes in the transformative power of diplomacy and dialogue.
Though when it comes to Russia, the US is clear-eyed and realistic about what it can accomplish, Price added that Washington wants to prevent the ability to pass messages back and forth with Moscow to atrophy, noting that the conversations are focused on risk reduction.
He, however, declined to say when or where they would take place, except that they wouldn’t be held in their usual venue in Geneva due to sanctions Switzerland agreed to impose on Moscow with along with other countries in the West, but sources close to Moscow pointed Cairo as the likely destination for the continuation of the talks.
The BCC, which handles practical matters regarding the implementation of the New START deal, last met in Geneva in October 2021 although the on-site inspections were suspended in both countries in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Back in August, Russia barred US inspectors from its nuclear weapons sites citing visa and travel restrictions for Russians that will prevent them from reaching the US sites.
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