US Under Secretary and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister agreed to hold bilateral New START meetings, the US Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday.
"Under Secretary Shannon and Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov committed to holding future New START Bilateral Consultative Commission and Strategic Stability Talks and will exchange scheduling proposals in the near future," the release stated after the bilateral meeting on Monday.
By the way, the talks between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon were tough, but showed a spirit of goodwill as well as commitment to a resolution, the US Department of State said in a release on Tuesday.
"The conversation was tough, forthright, and deliberate, reflecting both parties’ commitment to a resolution. The United States and Russia seek a long-term solution that would address areas of bilateral concern that have strained the relationship," the release said. "The talks reflected a spirit of goodwill, but it is clear that more work needs to be done."
The bilateral consultations were established by the 2010 New START agreement to discuss issues related to the treaty’s implementation.A new round of talks would be the first since October and the first since US President Donald Trump took office.
In February, media reported that Trump denounced the treaty in his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a bad deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.
The United States and Russia jointly agreed under New START to decrease the number of deployed nuclear warheads of 1,550 and the number of deployed missiles and bombers to 700 by 2018. The agreement is set to expire in 2021 and could be extended by mutual agreement.
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