US Officials Say Russia has Postponed Nuclear Weapons Talks
Felicia Schwartz | Financial Times
US officials said Russia had postponed crucial nuclear weapons talks that were due to begin on Tuesday, marking a setback for the last remaining arms treaty between the powers and providing further evidence of fraying diplomatic ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said: “We haven’t received a real solid answer from the Russians as to why they postponed this. We’d like to see it get back on the schedule as soon as possible.” A Russian foreign ministry official told the Tass news agency that the talks would be rescheduled, but offered no other details. US officials said they were working to ascertain why Moscow postponed the discussions.
Russia Denies Planning to Give up Vast Ukrainian Nuclear Plant
Pavel Polityuk | Reuters
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is still under Russian control and will remain so, the Kremlin said on Monday, after a Ukrainian official suggested Russian forces were preparing to leave. The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy company said on Sunday there were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to vacate Europe's biggest nuclear plant, which they seized in March, soon after invading Ukraine. The Kremlin dismissed the statement. "There's no need to look for signs where there are none and cannot be any," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing on Monday.
Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Appears Again, Fueling Speculation over North Korea Succession
Hyung-Jin Kim | PBS News Hour
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. She’s only about 10, but her new, bold photos are deepening the debate over whether she’s being primed as a successor…“This is certainly striking. The photograph of Kim Ju Ae standing alongside her father while being celebrated by technicians and scientists involved in the latest ICBM launch would support the idea that this is the start of her being positioned as a potential successor,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Iran Planning Massive Expansion of Uranium Capacity – UN Nuclear Watchdog
The Guardian
The UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed Iran is enriching uranium to 60% at a second plant, amid the breakdown of the nuclear deal with major powers.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday that Iran was also planning a massive expansion of its enrichment capacity. Iran said earlier on Tuesday that it had started to enrich uranium to 60% at the Fordo site, having already done so at its above-ground pilot plant at Natanz for more than a year.
South Korea’s Yoon Warns of Unprecedented Response to North Korea Nuclear Test, Calls on China to do More
Soyoung Kim, Jack Kim, and Josh Smith | Reuters
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of an unprecedented joint response with allies if North Korea goes ahead with a nuclear test, and urged China to help dissuade the North from pursuing banned development of nuclear weapons and missiles. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters on Monday, Yoon called on China, North Korea’s closest ally, to fulfil its responsibilities as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. He said not doing so would lead to an influx of military assets to the region. "What is sure is that China has the capability to influence North Korea, and China has the responsibility to engage in the process," Yoon said in his office. It was up to Beijing to decide whether it would exert that influence for peace and stability, he added.
South Korea's Nuclear Option: Calls Grow for Weapon Development
STEVEN BOROWIEC | Nikkei Asia
There is an increased sense in South Korea that efforts to convince the North to give up its nuclear weapons have failed, and a more muscular approach is necessary to secure peace on the peninsula. A growing chorus of voices contends that the way to guarantee South Korea's security is to develop a homegrown nuclear program."The current security situation is something that we have not seen before," Leem Ho-young, a retired four-star South Korean army general and former deputy commander of the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, said at a recent forum in Seoul. He added that South Korea needs to consider a "Plan C" that could include working toward the development of nuclear weapons.