US and Russian officials are expected to meet in Austria on Monday to discuss nuclear arms control and space security, the US State Department said in a statement on Friday. The US-Russia Space Security Exchange (SSE) will take place in Vienna on July 27, marking the first bilateral meeting between the two nations on space security since 2013.
“Our hope is that this meeting will allow us to explore ways to increase security and stability in outer space as well as to advance the cause of developing norms of responsible behavior,” Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford told reporters via teleconference. The US delegation will include officials from the departments of State, Defense, Energy, and the National Security Council (NSC).
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The announcement came in the wake of an alleged Russian satellite-launched missile test on July 15. Ford said that the test was the second of its kind, with the first completed by Moscow in 2017. In both cases, he stated that a “mother” satellite produced a “daughter” satellite which then released a projectile, something like the space equivalent of a “bullet”. Moscow, however, has denied the accusation, describing the event as merely an inspection of one satellite by another and criticized Washington for relentlessly engaging in anti-Russia rhetoric.
Representatives from the two nations are also to gather for nuclear arms control working group meetings this week. The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, is set to expire on Feb. 5, 2021. Though US President Donald Trump has withdrawn or threatened to exit various agreements meant to facilitate US-Russia military cooperation (INF, Open Skies Treaty), he told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that he hoped to avoid a costly arms race with Russia and China, and looked forward to the progress on upcoming arms control negotiations between the countries.
Also on Friday, the US military accused Russia of sending arms and mercenaries to Libya to establish its presence in the region. The US said Russia’s actions violated UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1970 which imposed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on Libya.