Russia and the United States Hold Consultations on New Nuclear Arms Control Treaty

Reference News Network, February 26 According to a report by RIA Novosti on February 23, Reuters cited a senior official from the U.S. State Department stating that Russian and U.S. delegations discussed a new version of the nuclear arms control treaty in Geneva.

Reuters reported that the U.S. side held a meeting with the Russian delegation in Geneva on the 23rd.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Trump proposed to draft a modernized strategic weapons treaty for the coming years to replace the New START treaty, which expired earlier this month.

The U.S. news site Axios previously reported that both sides have agreed to initiate consultations on the new treaty and intend to adhere to the original treaty's terms for at least another six months during the negotiation period. The White House declined to comment on this.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia is willing to discuss security issues within the framework of strategic stability dialogue and expects the U.S. side to adopt a similar attitude.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Wallace proposed last week the idea of transforming the New START treaty into a multilateral treaty.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that the nuclear capabilities of U.S. allies, the United Kingdom and France, cannot be ignored. (Translation/ Zhao Zhipeng)