The time for a rescue of the last major nuclear disarmament agreement in the world is scarce. Now want to meet the United States and Russia, surprisingly, this month on strategic conversations. Can this be done?
Moscow (Reuters) – Russia and the US on 22. June’s talk in Vienna for talks at the level of the ministries of foreign Affairs on a possible new nuclear disarmament agreement.
Russian Deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed Tuesday the Agency Interfax, according to the appointment. Issues of arms control and the “strategic stability,” he said. However, it is unclear whether the United States wanted China in the Meeting take part. Washington announced on Monday evening that it had reached agreement with Moscow on the new talks on nuclear disarmament.
foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed the importance of new initiatives to counter the nuclear threat. To “prevent a new nuclear arms race, is a question of Survival for humanity,” he said after a video conference of the so-called Stockholm Initiative for nuclear disarmament, of the 16 countries are involved. “We should not Wake up only in the eye of the storm, but we must act now, together.”
The special representative of the US government for Disarmament Affairs, Marshall Billingslea, wrote on Twitter that he had agreed with Ryabkov, a time and place for negotiations in June. Details he called. China had also been invited. Ryabkov said that Billingslea self, don’t be surprised to visit to Vienna, Russia, the United States ceased to bring China into the game. According to the current contract it is not provided.
Russia has recently made always pressure to start the negotiations. The last major nuclear disarmament Treaty, New Start, which regulates the limitation of strategic nuclear weapons, runs on 5. February, 2021. Russia had repeatedly warned of an uncontrollable nuclear arms race, should not be extended to the contract. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin complained in may at a video conference with the Russian security Council that there were no serious negotiations with the United States on the extension of the New Start. It was a matter of Supreme importance – “not only for us but for the whole world,” Putin said.
The Russian Diplomat Ryabkov said the end of may, after the elections in the USA in November to late of an extension, as Russia is proposing to negotiate. The United States had declared its readiness for talks. However, they demanded – without success -that a new Treaty, China is involved should be. “China will show good will and also to negotiate?”, Billingslea said in his Tweet.
The New Start Treaty, the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the USA on the 800 delivery systems and 1550 deployed nuclear warheads ready to reduce. Just last summer, another important disarmament had been terminated agreement between the two countries: the INF Treaty on the prohibition of land-based nuclear Short – and medium-range weapons.
Putin and US President, Donald Trump had the last phone call at the beginning of June. After the phone call, it was from the Russian side, the dialogue between Moscow and Washington should be enabled. This is also the case of “confidence-building measures in the military field” and the “strategic stability” is important. US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo showed in may of last year in the Russian black sea metropolis of Sochi after talks with foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is optimistic that the New Start-could the contract be extended.
The United States had recently announced the withdrawal from the agreement on military observation flights (Open Skies). You have not justified the step that Russia stick to the agreement. Therefore, the United States were no longer bound by it. The agreement on Open skies (Open Skies Treaty), allowed the 34 signatory States, a number of observation flights per year in the airspace of the Contracting partner. It was closed in 1992 and came into force in 2002. More than 1500 observation flights there have been.
Tweet Billingslea
