Second round of US-Russia talks opens in Geneva

The United States and Russia are holding a second round of strategic talks in Geneva in an attempt to resolve numerous differences ranging from nuclear weapons to cyberspace.

A behind-closed-doors meeting reportedly started in Geneva at 10am on Thursday between the US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and the Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. According to the Le Temps newspaper, the two sides were due to meet at the Russian diplomatic mission, located opposite the United Nations headquarters.

The Geneva gathering follows an initial strategic meeting at the US diplomatic mission on July 28 at which little progress was made. This first session took place after US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at a Geneva summit in June to restart talks.

The US State Department said the two sides meeting in Geneva on Thursday intended “to have a deliberate and robust dialogue that will seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures”. In addition to disarmament, the discussions should focus on new technologies, space and artificial intelligence (AI).

Swiss partnership

Sherman is due to travel from Geneva to the Swiss capital, Bern, where she will meet Swiss State Secretary Livia Leu on Friday to launch the first meeting of a new partnership between the two countries.

According to Le Temps, talks will focus on economic and education issues, but political questions such as China, Russia and Iran will also be covered. Switzerland has represented US diplomatic interests in Iran since 1980.

Sherman will then travel to Uzbekistan and wrap up her trip in nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.