Russia said on Thursday that it was examining the possibility of a one-on-one meeting between Russia and the US negotiators on a landmark nuclear arms control treaty.
Maria Zakharova, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said during a briefing in Moscow that Russia was flexible enough to restore inspections under the New START treaty and was thinking of the possibility of face-to-face meetings of a joint commission of representatives from the United States (US) and Russia.
Since 2020, physical inspections have been suspended under the treaty. This was initially done due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The topic of resuming them is being considered,” Zakharova stated once more. “The possibilities for holding a face-to-face session of the bilateral advisory commission are being studied,” she said.
The treaty limits the number of nuclear weapons that each side can deploy and specifies the terms under which each country must verify and inspect each other’s nuclear arsenals.
Moscow said in August that it was considering a new meeting of the commission as well as a possible resumption of negotiations to extend the treaty, one of the few major diplomatic agreements that remain in place between Moscow and Washington as relations hit rock bottom over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia had said in August that the country was mulling over a fresh meeting of the commission, in addition to the revival of negotiations to extend the treaty. The treaty is one of the few major diplomatic agreements between the two countries at a time when they are threatening each other over the Russia-Ukraine War.
