US, Russia have ‘substantive talks’ on strategic stability with tensions flaring

Amid rising tensions between the two nations, the United States and Russian officials had “professional and substantive talks” on strategic stability in a planned meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, according to a statement from the State Department, released on Wednesday.

A delegation of US officials, led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, met with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov, in the first of a series of “integrated Strategic Stability Dialogue” talks arranged in June at President Joe Biden‘s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The strategic talks come amid Russia’s constant efforts to strengthen military force in the Arctic and testing of newest weapons. 

State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that, “we remain committed, even in times of tension, to ensuring predictability and reducing the risk of armed conflict and threat of nuclear war.”

The relation with Moscow has bittered in the recent past owing to multiple issues – including the ransomware attacks that have hit US government agencies, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Russia’s interference in Ukraine and also detention of Americans.

However, Biden continues to stress that Washington is still open to cooperating with Vladimir Putin and Russia on areas of mutual concern, including climate change.

The planned series of engagements between the two countries are meant to improve communication and reduce the possibility of diplomatic missteps at a time of strained relations.

The first meeting convened comes after Russia lashed out at Biden for his remarks about the “real trouble” that Russia is going through.

During remarks at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, Biden stated that Putin and Russia “has a real problem.”

“He’s sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else,” Biden said, according to CNN inputs. “Nothing else. Their economy is — what? — the eighth smallest in the world now — largest in the world? He knows — he knows he’s in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous, in my view.”

However, soon after, the Kremlin responded to Biden’s statement and said the President’s assessment that Russia only has nuclear weapons and oil is “inherently wrong.”

“Obviously, Biden is voicing the messages that are being prepared by his apparatus, his employees. We can see an erroneous knowledge and understanding of modern Russia here,” Kremlin Dmitri Peskov said, CNN reported.