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US Department of State invites Russia for new round of Strategic Security Dialogue

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov announced last week that the previously scheduled dates for the US-Russia consultations on the strategic stability remained unchanged and were set for mid-July

WASHINGTON, July 10. /TASS/. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) Christopher Ford has invited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov for a new round of talks on the strategic stability, the ISN said on its Twitter page.

"Big day for strategic security diplomacy with Russia: in meeting with Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, [US Assistant Secretary Chris] Ford finalized planning for a Space Security Exchange at end of July," the US bureau stated. "Ford also invited Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov to new round of the Strategic Security Dialogue last held in January."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov announced last week that the previously scheduled dates for the US-Russia consultations on the strategic stability remained unchanged and were set for mid-July.

On June 22, Russia and the United States held talks on strategic stability and arms control behind closed doors in Vienna. The countries’ delegations were headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea. An issue of extending the New START Treaty was also on the agenda of the talks.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) was signed in 2010 and it entered into force on February 5, 2011.

The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and strategic bombers.

The New START Treaty obliges the parties to exchange information on the number of warheads and carriers twice a year.

The New START Treaty will remain in force during 10 years until 2021, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement. It may be extended for a period of no more than five years (i.e. until 2026) upon the parties’ mutual consent.

Moscow has numerously called on Washington not to delay the issue of the Treaty’s possible extension and calls it a ‘golden standard’ in the sphere of disarmament.