Russia abruptly postpones nuclear weapons talks with US
- The discussions under the New START treaty would have been the first ones since Moscow’s forces invaded Ukraine in February
- Russia did not give a reason for the delay, while the US says it is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible time
The Biden administration said on Monday that Russia has abruptly and without explanation postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week.
The State Department said Russia had “unilaterally postponed” a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission that was expected to begin Tuesday in Egypt and last through next week. It said Russia had promised to propose new dates but had offered no reason for the delay.
“The United States is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible date as resuming inspections is a priority for sustaining the treaty as an instrument of stability,” the department said. It said it had no details on why Russia wanted the postponement or when the talks might be rescheduled.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration has yet to receive “a real solid answer from the Russians as to why they postponed” the meeting.
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“We’re going to be working through the embassy to try to figure out what happened here,” Kirby said. “And we’d like to see it get back on the schedule as soon as possible because it’s important. It’s not just important for our two nations. It’s important for the rest of the world.”
In Moscow, a Russian foreign ministry statement reported by Russian news agencies offered no reason for the postponement.