Controlling the spread of arms, the central issue in a new round of talks in Geneva between Russia and the United States

The second round of strategic consultations between Russia and the United States concluded Thursday in Geneva with “intense” and “substantive” discussions. that you decide to create Two pairs of experts to promote arms controlHe mentioned both delegations.

This was the second meeting since then Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden met in June, also in the Swiss capital.

In a joint statement, The United States and Russia indicated that these working groups will begin their meetings after a third round of dialogues., which has so far been led by US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Ryabkov.

The delegations also agreed on that The two working groups will begin their meetings, followed by a third plenary sessionIt was stated in the statement.

Quoted from the Russian Agency RIA Novosti, On Thursday, Ryabkov noted that after these consultations, “Russia now has a clear understanding of the tasks that the United States wants to solve in the context of bilateral dialogue.”.

The Russian delegation added the Deputy Foreign Minister, He gave detailed answers to the questions Americans were interested in, and identified issues on which he would like “some clarification.”

“Despite the differences that exist, there are many, There is a desire and willingness to move the process forward, “ Russian news agencies. “This is slow progress. But that in and of itself is also good.”

A senior US State Department official said the meeting It was “very interactive and broad based” and delved into multiple topics, though he declined to go into detail.

“We think that was A very fruitful meeting.”He told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The delegations gathered in the framework of The bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, in which the two presidents committed themselves to “implementing an integrated, deliberate and solid process.”

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been dealt a severe blow since Biden came to power. Last March, US President Putin called Putin a “murderer”, wishing him “good health” instead. In May, the Russian government declared the United States an “unfriendly” state along with the Czech Republic.

However, after the June summit in Geneva, The two leaders agreed to start a dialogue that brings together positions between Washington and Moscow.

from Cyber ​​attacks on American entities and interference in the last US presidential elections Even Human rights violations and attacks on Ukraine And other European countries, the list of US accusations of the Kremlin is long.

However, Putin insists that he is only challenging US hegemony, He denied any connection to what the United States says are Russia-based hacking and ransomware gangs, or that it participated in the deaths of several dissidents during their two decades in power.

(With information from EFE, AFP and EuropaPress)

Read on: