US ready to discuss with Russia framework to replace New START: Envoy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Aug 2022 23:00

The US Permanent Representative to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield, believes that resuming inspections under New START is a crucial part of cooperation with Russia.

US Permanent Representative to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield

The US Permanent Representative to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield, has announced the US' readiness to negotiate a framework to replace New START eyeing further bilateral strategic nuclear arms reductions with Russia.

"We believe resuming mutually-beneficial inspections under New START, or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, is a key part of our cooperation that must continue," Greenfield told a UN Security Council meeting.

"We are ready to negotiate, expeditiously, a framework to replace New START in pursuit of further bilateral strategic nuclear arms reductions with Russia," she added.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had announced earlier that the possibility of reviving the treaty between the US and Russia "is not completely clear due to the US administration's current approach and its reckless policy."

In this context, the Russian Embassy in Washington announced earlier that "Russia and the US are working to remove obstacles to the resumption of inspections under the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (START)."

The Russian Embassy said in a statement that "inspection activities under the START Treaty have already been suspended since 2020 by agreement of the parties due to the Corona epidemic."

"We are working closely with American colleagues within the framework of the bilateral START Consultation Committee to remove regulatory and technical obstacles to resuming inspections," it added.

On August 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had informed Washington of the temporary withdrawal of its facilities from inspections conducted within the framework of the START Treaty. It added that "these procedures are provided for by Clause 5, Section I of Chapter Five of the START Treaty Protocol."

The negotiations on the control of nuclear weapons between Moscow and Washington have been frozen since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden met in Geneva on June 16 in their first summit since Biden took office. In a joint statement, the two presidents announced the launch of a bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, stressing Moscow and Washington's adherence to the need of preventing a nuclear war.