US meeting Russia, China teams in Geneva to discuss nuclear issue

The United States is holding meetings in Geneva with Russian and Chinese delegations about nuclear weapons, after the final treaty restricting Washington and Moscow’s nuclear deployment expired, a US official says.

“Today, I met with the Russian delegation. Tomorrow, we’ll meet with the Chinese delegation, among others,” a senior State Department official tells reporters in Geneva, asking not to be identified.

The United States held “preparatory” meetings with Russia and with China in Washington after the New START treaty lapsed earlier this month and the meetings in Geneva were “a little bit more substantive,” the official says.

Washington has also spoken with nuclear powers Britain and France “on multiple occasions” in recent weeks, the official adds.

New START, the only remaining treaty between the United States and Russia that limited deployment of nuclear warheads, expired on February 5, as US President Donald Trump called for a new agreement that also includes Beijing.

China’s nuclear arsenal remains far smaller than those of Russia and the United States, but it has been growing quickly. China has publicly rejected calls to enter negotiations on a new three-way treaty.

US officials are also slated to meet an Iranian delegation in high-profile Geneva talks on Thursday.