By Christine Parthemore and Rear Admiral John Gower, CB OBE
In remarks at the White House the afternoon of April 15th, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke of a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, voicing hope that the nations should seek to find common interests on which to cooperate. This comes despite Russian attacks on the United States and its interests, and major differences on human rights – including the treatment of Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny. President Biden added:
To that end, I proposed that we meet in person this summer in Europe, for a summit to address a range of issues facing both of our countries. Our teams are discussing that possibility right now.
And out of that summit — were it to occur, and I believe it will — the United States and Russia could launch a strategic stability dialogue to pursue cooperation in arms control and security. We can address critical global challenges that require Russia and the United States to work together, including reining in nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, ending this pandemic globally, and meeting the existential crisis of climate change.
As U.S. and Russian officials prepare for what could be an important presidential summit, there remains a need to clarify and prioritize pathways forward in nuclear arms control and risk reduction.
Yesterday, the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) released a prioritized yet flexible strategic framework to fill this need. Read the full briefer here.