August 9, 2021
For the second time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, CNS and the Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies brought together a group of more than fifty senior and emerging US and Russian experts for a virtual dialogue series on pressing nuclear issues last month. The series itself consisted of three separate events held over a two-week period on topics ranging from the strategic stability dialogue process to US-Russian cooperation within the context of the nonproliferation regime to the JCPOA and regional nuclear nonproliferation. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov and Director of the Kennan Institute Matthew Rojansky opened the event series with an on-the-record session on the Geneva Summit and its implications for Russian-US Relations, a recording of which is available. The rest of the events in the series were convened under the Chatham House Rule, but a number of the speakers agreed to share their written remarks, which are available below.
Although the state of US-Russia relations remains in a state of crisis, the speakers and participants across all three meetings in the dialogue series espoused remarkably similar views on the importance of continued cooperation on priority challenges facing the nonproliferation regime. They placed a particular emphasis on the urgent need to resume regular dialogue between Russian and American officials not only on strategic stability but also on addressing regional issues and strengthening the multilateral nonproliferation and disarmament regimes. Of the dialogue series, CNS director William Potter said: “The candid and constructive discussion among a diverse group of nonproliferation experts generated a number of concrete recommendations for restoring greater US-Russian nonproliferation cooperation. It also demonstrated the value of engaging the next generation of nonproliferation experts, a number of whom are recent graduates of the MIIS-MGIMO Dual Degree Program in Nonproliferation Studies.” CNS and CENESS will convene another set of nuclear dialogue events in fall 2021.
CNS’ work on US-Russian nuclear cooperation is made possible thanks to support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Prepared Remarks
- Robert Einhorn, Senior Fellow, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative, Brookings
- Grigory Berdennikov, Ambassador-in-Residence, Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS)
- Sarah Bidgood, Director, Eurasia Nonproliferation Program, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
