US and Russia hold 'substantive' strategic stability talks as Moscow raps Biden for comments

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman led a delegation of US officers in a gathering with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov, the primary in a {series} of "integrated Strategic Stability Dialogue" talks organized in June at President Joe Biden's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These strategic talks come as Russia is amassing navy may within the Arctic and testing its latest weapons, together with an unmanned stealth torpedo powered by a nuclear reactor. State Department spokesman Ned Price stated in a press release that, "we remain committed, even in times of tension, to ensuring predictability and reducing the risk of armed conflict and threat of nuclear war."

'An actual taking pictures warfare'

"We've seen how cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, increasingly are able to cause damage and disruption in the real world," Biden stated. "I can't guarantee this, and they're as informed as I am, but I think it's more likely we're going to end up, we end up in a war. A real shooting war with major power. It's gonna be as a consequence of a cyber break of great consequence."

"When I was with Mr. Putin, who has a real problem — he is — he's sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else," Biden stated. "Nothing else. Their economy is — what? — the eighth smallest in the world now — largest in the world? He knows — he knows he's in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous, in my view."

The Kremlin stated on Wednesday Biden was improper in his evaluation that Russia solely has nuclear weapons and oil.

"At the very least, they are inherently wrong," Kremlin Dmitri Peskov stated on a convention name with journalists. "The President of the United States spoke about our President, speaking in front of [US] National Intelligence officers. It is clear that such bravura statements are in demand among this audience.

"Obviously, Biden is voicing the messages which are being ready by his equipment, his workers. We can see an inaccurate data and understanding of contemporary Russia right here," he stated.

Peskov stated the Kremlin regrets the US is extra of an opponent than a companion regardless of Putin "repeatedly" demonstrating the "political will" to normalize relations:

At Wednesday's talks, "the US delegation mentioned US coverage priorities and the present safety setting, nationwide perceptions of threats to strategic stability, prospects for new nuclear arms management, and the format for future Strategic Stability Dialogue periods," Price said.

Biden renewed the New START nuclear arms control agreement with Russia during his first month in office, but both countries have said that more work needs to be done to reduce conflict and address new areas of competition.

The space race and cyber offensive capabilities are expected to be on the agenda, sources familiar with the plans have said. Price said the two delegations agreed to meet again at the end of September and to hold informal consultations in the interim to determine topics for expert working groups going forward.

Price also said that senior officials from the State Department and Pentagon will now travel to Brussels, Belgium, to brief allies at NATO headquarters.

After the meetings Wednesday, Ryabkov told TASS news agency that the US showed up in Geneva ready for constructive dialogue.

"They are prepared," TASS quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying. "This is an efficient factor. They [the US] despatched a powerful delegation representing all departments."

Ryabkov said the US "labored by means of its agenda 100%" and that there were no surprises for the Russian delegation.

The more formal Russian readout of the meeting was brief. "In accordance with the directions of the Presidents of the 2 international locations, a complete dialogue was held on the approaches of the events to sustaining strategic stability, the prospects for arms management and measures to scale back dangers," the statement said. "Various facets of the additional growth of cooperation on this subject had been touched upon."