By Spy Uganda
Russian and United States negotiators have agreed on the need to swiftly launch new talks on nuclear arms control following discussions held this week in the United Arab Emirates, offering a rare sign of cooperation between the two rivals amid heightened global tensions.
The agreement comes after the expiration of the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Washington and Moscow, which for more than a decade capped the size of the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.
With the treaty now lapsed, there are no longer legally binding limits on the number of nuclear warheads or delivery systems held by either country. Under New START, both sides were restricted to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and heavy bombers.
Russia has indicated it is prepared to continue observing the treaty’s limits on a temporary basis, but the United States has called for a broader framework that would include China. Washington argues that Beijing’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and limited transparency make a bilateral agreement insufficient for long-term global stability.
China, however, has rejected calls to join trilateral talks, saying its nuclear forces remain significantly smaller than those of the United States and Russia. Beijing has also denied US accusations that it is conducting covert nuclear weapons testing.
US officials maintain that China’s refusal to engage in arms control discussions, combined with its growing capabilities, complicates efforts to prevent a new arms race. Chinese authorities have insisted they will not participate in negotiations until the gap between their arsenal and those of Washington and Moscow narrows.
Despite the deep disagreements, both the United States and Russia have agreed to reestablish military-to-military dialogue, a move officials say could help reduce the risk of miscalculation and lay the groundwork for future arms control negotiations.
The talks mark a tentative step toward restoring a measure of predictability in nuclear relations at a time when the collapse of longstanding arms control frameworks has raised concerns about an unconstrained global nuclear arms race.
