Expert sees ‘Nuclear Five’ as only proper venue for Russia-US dialogue on arms control

SYDNEY, April 22. /TASS/. The ‘Nuclear Five’ (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council) is the only proper venue for Russia-US arms control talks, Australian expert on international affairs Tony Kevin told TASS on Thursday. "Putin's message to Biden is: set aside your futile persistent propaganda and interference in our affairs, get serious about Russia-US strategic arms control because this is now our sole remaining shared interest," he pointed out, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly. "In spare and precise language, he challenges Biden to enter into a serious self-contained strategic weapons bilateral dialogue, purged of surrounding American distractions and diversionary tactics," the expert added. According to him, "Putin is rejecting any American efforts now or in the future to 'negotiate from strength', or to try to link bilateral strategic arms control to other issues or other countries." "The strategic nuclear balance remains a vital shared interest of both countries and with the right leadership, they can begin to make progress on this, irrespective of all other profound differences and disagreements," Kevin noted. "The ‘Nuclear Five’ (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) is the only proper venue for any discussion of broadening the basis of US-Russia strategic arms control talks. President Putin has firmly thrown down the gauntlet of the decision to President Biden. <...> Both leaders know that the overall bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia is as bad as, maybe worse than, the Soviet-US relationship ever was, even in the worst depths of the Cold War," the expert emphasized. "The US has lost all sense of respect for Russia's national sovereignty and for proper diplomatic courtesies and protocols. Ambassadors have been withdrawn, and embassies have become almost non-functional due to staff number reductions and other US-provoked sanctions. Russians are generally fed up with American and NATO games in the information warfare space," Kevin said. In his opinion, "the firm no-nonsense tone of Putin's message <…> means that we are now pared down to the bare essentials of the US-Russia great power relationship." "Putin has scraped away the surrounding American pious rhetoric and gamesman ship. He has made clear that Russia will not be playing such games anymore with Washington. This was a welcoming message for the Russian electorate," the expert stressed. Tony Kevin began his diplomatic career in Moscow in 1969. He also served as Australia’s ambassador to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Cambodia. After leaving the diplomatic service, he dedicated himself to international political studies. Kevin is the author of several books, including Return to Moscow (2017), in which he looks back on the years he spent in Russia. Read more