Even as the United States works with allies to isolate Russia diplomatically and deter further Russian aggression, the Obama administration hopes to maintain business as usual in efforts to restrain threats from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Russia is the sole U.S. peer in the strategic nuclear arena and an important global supplier of nuclear technology and advanced conventional weapons. Russian cooperation will therefore be a prerequisite for almost any meaningful progress in tackling nuclear and WMD proliferation in Iran and elsewhere.
In an email to Trend Lines, a State Department spokesman welcomed a recent statement from Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov that “Russia intends to continue implementing its obligations and commitments” under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and other agreements.