US-Russia meeting expected soon on resumption of nuclear inspections, The State Department announced on Tuesday that a meeting between the United States and Russia is soon anticipated to discuss the potential restart of inspections under New START, a crucial nuclear disarmament agreement between the two nations. Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, told reporters that “we have agreed that the BCC (bilateral coordinating committee) will meet in the near future in accordance with the New START treaty.” Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States is “focused on risk reduction in these dialogues,” Price said, adding that the group’s work is “secret” but that it “does hope for a good session.”
US-Russia meeting expected soon on resumption of nuclear inspections
The panel would hold its first meeting since October 2021, but Price did not give an exact date or venue. In response to American obstruction of Russian inspections, Moscow stated in early August that it would suspend US inspections of its military facilities under New START. The final bilateral pact of its sort between the two largest nuclear powers in the world is called New START.
It was signed in 2010 and reduced the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons in each nation’s arsenal to a maximum of 1,550, down from the previous limit of 2,050 set in 2002. Additionally, it caps the number of launchers and heavy bombers at 800, which is still more than enough to completely destroy the Earth. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, agreed to extend the treaty for an additional five years, or until 2026, in January 2021.
Up until now, the deal permitted slightly under 20 mutual inspections to be conducted annually between Moscow and Washington. Price reiterated that the United States was willing to maintain “channels for dialogue” with Russia, particularly to address significant bilateral concerns. These channels have continued to operate despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, which Washington vehemently condemns.
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