US-Russia: Arms Control Talks Look Dead on Arrival

摘要

The US and Russia will meet in Vienna on Jun. 22 to discuss extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start), the last remaining arms control agreement between the two nuclear superpowers, which is set to expire in February 2021. While New Start is a bilateral agreement, US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea has made it clear that any extension must take into account China's strategic nuclear forces. This condition all but kills any chance of an extension, since a completely new treaty vehicle would need to be negotiated on a trilateral basis. In any event, China has refused to participate in the Jun. 22 talks.