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US, Russian senior officials to discuss arms control, Iran in Geneva — agency

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev will represent Moscow at the talks

WASHINGTON, August 17. /TASS/. U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton will meet with a senior Russian official in Geneva next week to discuss the implementation of arms control treaties, as well as Iran and Syria, Reuters reported on Thursday citing a US administration official.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev will represent Moscow at the talks, the agency said.

According to the agency, the sides are expected to discuss, among other things, the implementation of Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START treaty) and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

No further information is available. The White House failed to provide TASS with any information about the upcoming meeting.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday that preparations are being made for a meeting between Russian representatives and Bolton. "Preparations for such a meeting are indeed underway," he said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on August 14 that Bolton would meet with representatives of Israel and Ukraine, as well as with his Russian counterpart, in Geneva next week.

The Russian Security Council’s office said earlier that there were plans to arrange a meeting between Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Bolton, but no possible locations and dates were announced. Russian Security Council First Deputy Secretary Yuri Averyanov held talks with Bolton in Moscow on June 27, discussing the prospects for cooperation between the two countries’ security councils.

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