Nuclear disarmament talks postponed by Russia, US says

WASHINGTON

Russia has "unilaterally postponed" nuclear disarmament talks that were slated to be held this week in Cairo, Egypt, the State Department said on Monday.

The meeting of the New START Treaty’s Bilateral Consultative Commission were to begin on Tuesday in Egypt, but the Kremlin informed the Biden administration that "Russia has unilaterally postponed the meeting and stated that it would propose new dates," a State Department spokesman told Anadolu Agency in an emailed statement. It did not specify which rationale Russia provided, if any, but it comes as the US continues to help Ukraine thwart an ongoing Russian invasion.

"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," he added.

The commission is tasked with discussing issues related to the bilateral treaty's implementation. It last met in Geneva in October 2021 to continue "the discussion of practical issues related to the implementation of the treaty," the State Department said at the time.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not express any reason for why the meeting was postponed.

The New START agreement, signed in 2010, limits the number of Russian and US deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a maximum of 1,550.The agreement also limited the number of launch pads and heavy bombers to 800.

Shortly after the US President Joe Biden took the office in January 2021, the two countries extended the agreement to 2026.​​​​​​​

*Merve Berker contributed to this report from Ankara