BUDAPEST: The renewal of dialogue between Russia and the US must pave the way for disarmament, which has stalled amid increased tensions ...
BUDAPEST: The renewal of dialogue between Russia and the US must pave the way for disarmament, which has stalled amid increased tensions between the two countries in recent years, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on his way to the UN’s Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
"Of course, Hungary and all peace-loving nations have an interest in seeing resumed US-Russian dialogue lead to the revival of the disarmament process. This will require mutual trust once again, and I will urge the rebuilding of that trust at the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva today," Hungary’s top diplomat wrote in a post on Facebook (banned in Russia, owned by Meta designated as extremist in Russia).
He also drew attention to the fact that over the last three years, as the Ukrainian conflict has dragged on, talk about nuclear weapons being used has increased, which is very dangerous in and of itself. Furthermore, this conflict led to the production of a copious amount of weaponry, and "no one knows what will happen to it in the future," the Hungarian foreign minister said. "By whom, where, and against whom will it be used in the future?" he inquired.
In particular, Russia and the US will discuss the possibility of renewing the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) which expires in 2026. Experts say that a new treaty, one which would replace the old agreement, could be drafted.
New START limits the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles Russia and the United States may own. In February 2023, Moscow announced that it was suspending its participation in the treaty but was not withdrawing from it. The Russian side wanted to understand how New START would account not only for the United States’ arsenals but also for the stockpiles of other NATO nuclear powers, namely the United Kingdom and France.
In turn, the US has repeatedly stated that it would like to include China in the negotiations on nuclear disarmament. Beijing, however, does not see the need for this, as it has a much smaller nuclear stockpile than the other two powers. Following his return to office, Donald Trump has confirmed Washington’s willingness to communicate with Moscow and Beijing on these issues.
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