The two leaders issued a joint statement following their first meeting stating that “nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” The U.S. and Russian Federation committed to “an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future” as a “groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures”
Biden and Putin in joint statement say ‘nuclear war cannot be won’
“We, President of the United States of America Joseph R Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.”
Putin spoke of Biden’s judgment on arms control, saying: “I think it is clear to everyone that President Biden has made the responsible and, in our view, perfectly timely decision to extend the New START treaty for five years, which means until 2024.”
“Of course, that begs the question of what happens next,” Putin said. Pointing out that arms control discussions would be launched and held at the interagency level. Those high-level discussions were also announced in a joint White House-Kremlin statement released immediately after the summit concluded.
A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought
“Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” the statement reads.
In the statement, the two leaders said the US and Russia will continue diplomatic discussions that will build on the Geneva meeting, specifically focusing on the integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue centered on arms control and risk reduction.
Expressing hope for future talks, Mr Biden said there was “no substitute for face-to-face dialogue”. Mr Biden said after the summit that he believed it was not in anyone’s interest to start a new Cold War.
The joint statement in full says:
We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.
The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.
Consistent with these goals, the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.
