US-Russia Strategic Stability Talks Underway in Geneva

On Thursday, delegations from Russia and the United States began the second round of negotiations on strategic stability and disarmament at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Geneva.

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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Riabkov heads the Russian delegation in these bilateral talks, and Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman leads the U.S. one.

The first of these meetings took place on July 28. However, the parties did not reach viable agreements and decided to reschedule the event.

The U.S. State Department stated that the two sides would seek to "engage in a deliberate and robust dialogue to establish the basis for gun control and risk reduction measures" in Geneva. The agenda also includes new technologies, space, and artificial intelligence.

Riabkov acknowledged that Russia and Washington's approaches do not coincide in everything, and that is precisely why these meetings are taking place. He stressed that the event's goal is to start the negotiation process and analyze in detail the areas where the parties have divergences between two different perspectives.

Moscow has criticized Washington's withdrawal from the most important international agreements on strategic nuclear stability in recent years.

Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year welcomed the signing of a five-year extension of the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty (START III) by the United States.