Russia is unlikely to negotiate re-participation in START and use fear of nuclear escalation to slow down military support for Ukraine.
On March 3, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) write about this in a regular report.
ISW recalls yesterday’s brief conversation between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 ministerial meeting in Delhi.
Blinken urged Lavrov to cancel the termination of participation in the START treaty and expressed his readiness to cooperate with Russia in the field of strategic nuclear arms control, regardless of the war in Ukraine or relations between the United States and Russia.
Separately, Blinken called on Russia to stop the war in Ukraine, sit down at the negotiating table and release the detained American Paul Whelan.
However, Russian officials are unlikely to have meaningful discussions on the resumption of participation in the START treaty, experts write.
In all likelihood, the Kremlin is using the fear of nuclear escalation and Russia’s suspension of participation in the START treaty in the hope of deterring Western support for Ukraine and slowing down military assistance, ISW notes.
It remains extremely unlikely that Moscow will use nuclear weapons, but it continues to regularly threaten nuclear escalation in an attempt to intimidate the West, experts conclude.
On March 2, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Russia to engage in dialogue on Ukraine and the START Treaty.
Blinken had a brief meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20, during which he called on the Russian Federation to stop the war and start diplomatic dialogue.
The US will also always be ready to engage with Russia on nuclear arms control, Blinken said.
The parties also discussed the exchange of prisoners for the release of the American Paul Whelan, who was accused of “espionage” in Russia.
This meeting was the first of its kind in the last year.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.