United States Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Bonnie Jenkins, stated that Washington is prepared to engage Russia in a dialogue on inspection activities under the Bilateral Consultative Commission and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty framework. Washington intends to explore constructive ways to exchange views and resume formal talks, signaling a readiness to re-enter negotiations on verification measures and strategic stability, as reported by TASS.
The United States remains keen on returning to substantive discussions with Russia about the issue of deconfliction and verification, with a focus on resuming a direct line of communication to advance negotiations. Officials describe the aim as finding practical avenues for cooperation and progress, ensuring both sides can engage without stalling on critical verification questions that underpin strategic restraint. This is seen as a necessary step toward restoring steady dialogue in the arms control arena, according to Washington’s position as cited by TASS.
Jenkins noted that Russia’s launch of a special military operation in Ukraine has created considerable obstacles to restoring dialogue on strategic stability. The action has complicated efforts to coordinate on arms control topics and slowed the pace of consultations that were previously advancing in several areas of bilateral interaction, including transparency, risk reduction, and verification protocols, as documented in the official briefing summarized by TASS.
“This development fuels disruptions across numerous channels of engagement with Russia,” the official remarked, emphasizing that the situation has introduced a range of practical hurdles for ongoing discussions and practical cooperation on strategic weapons issues, as reported by TASS.
On the day preceding a statement from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov of Russia, which asserted that dialogue with the United States on START-related matters did not cease during the initial phase of the Ukrainian operations, the broader context of continued, albeit troubled, exchanges was outlined. The Russian deputy minister asserted that the dialogue had not been halted and that talks persisted at various levels, underscoring a persistent, if intermittent, thread of communication amid a challenging security environment — a point highlighted in the official Russian briefing cited by TASS.