Russia Warns U.S. Moves Threaten 2011 Nuclear Pact
Michael Gordon | Wall Street Journal
Russia has stepped up criticism of U.S. efforts to implement a major strategic arms treaty with an unusual message to lawmakers accusing Washington of undermining the agreement. The dispute centers on the procedures the U.S. has devised to shrink its long-range nuclear forces under the New Start treaty, an accord that has regulated the arms race with Moscow since 2011, as the two sides approach a decision on whether to extend the pact. The procedures had been debated for several years by American and Russian experts behind closed doors—until Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov toughened the stance in late December by calling the U.S. practices a violation of the treaty.
Nuclear Arms Treaty Faces Collapse After Failed U.S.-Russia Talks
France 24
The survival of a key nuclear arms control treaty was cast further in doubt Tuesday after the U.S. and Russia blamed each other for pushing the agreement to the brink of collapse. Senior diplomats from both countries met in Geneva amid widespread concern over the fate of the bilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which successfully put an end to a mini-arms race after it was signed in 1987. U.S. President Donald Trump said in October that his country would pull out of the deal unless Russia stops violating it. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to develop nuclear missiles banned under the treaty if it is scrapped. “The meeting was disappointing as it is clear Russia continues to be in material breach of the Treaty and did not come prepared to explain how it plans to return to full and verifiable compliance,” U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Andrea Thompson, said in a statement. “Our message was clear: Russia must destroy its noncompliant missile system,” she said.
What to Look for in the Upcoming Missile Defense Review
Aaron Mehta | Defense News
The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Review is in the final stages of pre-release, sources tell Defense News, after more than a year of release delays. The review, a congressionally mandated document looking at the status of America’s missile defense capabilities, could be unveiled as soon as the next week, although it has yet to be briefed to Congress, sources say. And while there appears to be significant momentum to actually releasing the document soon, the release has seemed imminent in the past, only to be pulled back at the last minute. The document has been the focus of intense speculation from both the missile defense and nonproliferation communities, with a wide expectation that the document will call for investments in new missile defense technologies and, potentially, a notable change in America’s missile defense posture toward Russia and China.
U.S. North Korea to Hold Talks This Week Seeking ‘Interim’ Deal: Media
Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee | Reuters
The United States and North Korea plan to hold high-level talks in Washington this week to discuss a second meeting between their leaders, South Korean media said on Tuesday, as the old enemies seek an “interim” deal to revitalizes nuclear talks. The meeting, led by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, is due on Thursday or Friday, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified diplomatic source familiar with the issue. They are expected to finalize the date and venue of a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the newspaper said.
Iran Says it is Taking Initial Steps to Design Reactor Fuel
Reuters
Iran is taking preliminary steps to design uranium fuel with a purity of 20 percent for reactors instead of having to copy foreign designs, Iran’s nuclear chief said on Sunday. Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers caps the level to which it is able to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent purity, well below the 20 percent it was reaching before the deal, and the roughly 90 percent that is weapons-grade. Iran is, however, allowed to produce nuclear fuel under strict conditions that need to be approved by a working group set up by the signatories to the deal. Those conditions include ensuring that the fuel cannot be converted to uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges that enrich uranium.
China’s ‘Underground Steel Great Wall’ Capable of Defeating Hypersonic Weapon Attacks: Academician
Deng Xiaoci and Liu Xuanzun | Global Times
China's “Underground Steel Great Wall” could “guarantee the security of the country’s strategic arsenal” against potential attacks, including those from future hypersonic weapons, Qian Qihu, recipient of the country's highest science and technology award, told the Global Times. Qian, 82, an academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, received the 2018 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award during a conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. The “Underground Steel Great Wall” is a series of defense facilities located deep under mountains. While the mountain rock is thick enough to resist enemy attacks, entrances and exits of these facilities are often vulnerable and Qian's work was to provide extra protection for these parts. China's nuclear strategy follows the principle of “no first use” and requires the country to have the capability of withstanding a nuclear attack before it responds with its strategic weapons.