The planned meeting between the Russians and the Americans to discuss the possible resumption of their inspections under the New Start treaty, a crucial bilateral agreement to reduce nuclear arsenals, has been postponed indefinitely, Russian diplomacy announced today, with Washington calling it a unilateral action by Moscow.
"The meeting of the bilateral consultative committee on the Russian-American New Start Treaty, which was originally scheduled in Cairo from November 29 to December 6, will not take place on the indicated dates," the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to TASS.
"The meeting is postponed to a later date," it added."
Following the Russian Foreign Ministry's announcement, a State Department spokesman said Russia "unilaterally postponed" the talks. The spokesman said Washington was ready to reschedule the meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Committee under the New Start Treaty as soon as possible.
The postponement comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its 10th month, with tensions between Moscow and the West at their highest level since the Cold War.
Announcing the meeting in early November, Washington then expressed hope for a "constructive" meeting, stressing the importance of dialogue despite the war in Ukraine in order to "reduce risks."
The last meeting of this consultative committee is dated October 2021.
Russia announced in early August that it was suspending scheduled U.S. inspections of its military sites under the New Start treaty, claiming it was acting in response to U.S. obstacles to similar Russian inspections in the United States.
The New Start treaty is the latest bilateral agreement of its kind linking the world's two largest nuclear powers.
The treaty, signed in 2010, limits the two countries' arsenals to a maximum of 1,550 warheads deployed on each side, a reduction of nearly 30 percent from the previous limit set in 2002. It also limits the number of launchers and heavy bombers to 800.
In January 2021, Vladimir Putin extended the agreement for five years, until 2026.
Source: ertnews.gr
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