Russian-US Strategic Stability Talks to be Held in Europe in a Few Weeks, Says Ambassador
TASS
Russian-US consultations on arms control are planned to be held in Europe in a few weeks, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. “Very soon, in a few weeks in Europe, there will be a round of consultations between senior officials of United States and Russia on this issue, we have to sit together, we have to realize what kind of threats we face,” he said. Russian Ambassador hopes that Moscow and Washington can reach a compromise on the issue of arms control.
Chinese, U.S. Envoys on N. Korea Agree to Maintain Communication
Kyodo News
Chinese and U.S. special representatives on North Korea agreed Tuesday to maintain communication with each other, in their apparent first phone talks since the administration of President Joe Biden was launched in January. Liu Xiaoming, China’s special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, told Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, that matters related to the peninsula should be resolved in a political manner. Liu was quoted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as telling Kim that the problems should be solved in a “phased and synchronized” fashion, suggesting Beijing would allow Pyongyang to get rid of its nuclear weapons step by step while gaining concessions.
U.S. Expects Seventh Round of Iran Nuclear Talks; No Details When
Reuters
The United States said on Wednesday it expected a seventh round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks on resuming compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to take place “at the appropriate moment,” but did not say when that might be. “Of course, nothing is certain in the world of diplomacy, but I think we have every expectation that there will be a seventh round of talks at the appropriate moment, at the right time, and our team looks forward to being engaged in that next round of talks when it does begin,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told a regular news briefing.
Raytheon Wins $2B Contract for New Nuclear Cruise Missile
Valerie Insinna | Defense News
Raytheon Technologies will get up to $2 billion to develop the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Standoff Weapon system, a new nuclear-capable, air-launched cruise missile that will be carried by B-52 and B-21 bombers. The service on July 1 awarded Raytheon a cost-plus-fixed-fee deal for the engineering and manufacturing development stage of the LRSO program, with contract options that max out at about $2 billion. During the program’s EMD stage, Raytheon will continue maturing its LRSO design and prepare for full-rate production of the weapon in 2027, the contract announcement stated.
New B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Rendering Released by the Air Force
Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway | The Drive
The U.S. Air Force has released what is only the third official rendering of its future B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which shows a previously unseen and extremely curious cockpit windscreen configuration. The latest image depicts one of the aircraft flying over Edwards Air Force Base in California, where initial testing of these bombers is set to begin after the type’s first flight, which is presently expected to occur in May 2022.
Does “Deterrence” Work?
Fred Kaplan | Slate
In late June, after Iranian-backed militias launched a drone attack against U.S. troops in Iraq, U.S. fighter jets responded by dropping bombs on the militias’ facilities in Iraq and Syria. A Pentagon spokesman said the bombing was meant as “a clear and unambiguous deterrent message”—i.e., don’t attack us again, or we’ll attack you again. And yet, on Wednesday, less than two weeks after the bombings, the same militia fired 14 rockets at an Iraqi air base, which was hosting U.S. forces. It seems the “deterrent message” didn’t get through.