Russia narrows the window of hope for a breakthrough during nuclear talks with America in Egypt

Russia said on Friday it did not expect a quick breakthrough in talks it said would soon be held in Cairo with the United States on resuming inspections of nuclear weapons.

The two countries agreed in March 2020 to stop mutual inspections under the New START Treaty, the last remaining treaty on reducing the two countries' strategic nuclear arsenals, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the two countries have failed to reach an agreement to resume these operations.

The fact that talks will take place in the first place is an indication that the two sides at least want to maintain dialogue at a time when Russia's war in Ukraine has caused a sharp deterioration in their relations to the point of confrontation, the worst in the past 60 years.

But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov played down hopes for a breakthrough at the meeting, which he said will take place in late November or early December in the Egyptian capital.

"This is not a problem born today or yesterday, and it will be very difficult to solve in a few days," he was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

Russia suspended cooperation on treaty inspections in August, citing travel restrictions imposed by Washington and its allies over the war in Ukraine.

The State Department said this week that "measures imposed as a result of Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine do not prevent Russian inspectors from carrying out New START treaty inspections in the United States" and that it hoped the upcoming meeting would result in a resumption of inspections.

New START, which took effect in 2011, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and missiles and bombs capable of carrying nuclear warheads on land and submarines.

Shortly after taking office last year, US President Joe Biden agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend the treaty for an additional five years, which, then, would expire in two weeks.

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