GENEVA: Russian and US diplomats held talks behind closed doors in Geneva on Thursday, the latest round of discussions between the world’s top two nuclear powers following a June summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
US State Department number two Wendy Sherman and Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov were expected to meet for most of the day.
The talks began around 10:00a.m., said a member of Russia’s mission to the UN.
State Department disarmament chief Bonnie Jenkins had earlier said that Washington hoped “concrete steps” would emerge from the talks in Geneva.
Beyond disarmament, the two sides were expected to discuss new technologies, space and artificial intelligence, Swiss news agency ATS reported.
Thursday’s talks were being held at Russia’s UN mission, after the last round in late July was hosted by the Americans a few hundred meters (yards) away.
Arms control was at the top of the agenda at that exchange.
At their June 16 summit, Biden and Putin said that it was vital to keep talking despite the differences that divide the two nuclear giants.
Even at the height of the Cold War, Moscow and Washington stayed in contact to prevent a conflict breaking out, they said.
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US and Russia launch new round of talks in Geneva
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US and Russia launch new round of talks in Geneva
- State Department disarmament chief Bonnie Jenkins had earlier said that Washington hoped ‘concrete steps’ would emerge from the talks
First charter jet brings French nationals home from Middle East
- A first charter flight carrying French nationals stranded in the Middle East since the start of the war with Iran landed at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris early Wednesday
PARIS: A first charter flight carrying French nationals stranded in the Middle East since the start of the war with Iran landed at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris early Wednesday.
Governments and airlines have been scrambling to repatriate tens of thousands of travelers stranded after the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
France is among the most affected Western nations, with an estimated 400,000 nationals present in around 15 countries touched by the conflict.
The aircraft chartered by Air France left Muscat, the capital of Oman, Tuesday evening and landed in France shortly before 3:00 am Wednesday.
“We never thought this would happen,” said passenger Emmy Coutelier, 18.
When the first strikes hit Dubai, she was in the hotel swimming pool with her boyfriend.
After hugging her sister, who had come to meet her at the airport, a still-shaken Coutelier recounted her experience. “An alarm sounded in the middle of the night telling us not to stay near the windows,” she said.
“We went down to the basement,” she added. When Coutelier boarded the repatriation flight, she said she felt as if she were “fleeing danger, even though it’s a relatively safe country.”
The plane carried staff of the airline as well as many families, young children, and pregnant women, government minister Eleonore Caroit told reporters at the airport.
“It was a complex process, with constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation, with airspace opening and closing and the situation changing from hour to hour,” Caroit added.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster France 2 there would be several flights on Wednesday, including one to repatriate French nationals from the United Arab Emirates.
Another flight, out of Egypt, will bring back “some of our most vulnerable compatriots” from Israel, he said.
More French nationals are getting in contact with consular authorities, “but not all of them want to return to France,” said Caroit.
Governments and airlines have been scrambling to repatriate tens of thousands of travelers stranded after the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
France is among the most affected Western nations, with an estimated 400,000 nationals present in around 15 countries touched by the conflict.
The aircraft chartered by Air France left Muscat, the capital of Oman, Tuesday evening and landed in France shortly before 3:00 am Wednesday.
“We never thought this would happen,” said passenger Emmy Coutelier, 18.
When the first strikes hit Dubai, she was in the hotel swimming pool with her boyfriend.
After hugging her sister, who had come to meet her at the airport, a still-shaken Coutelier recounted her experience. “An alarm sounded in the middle of the night telling us not to stay near the windows,” she said.
“We went down to the basement,” she added. When Coutelier boarded the repatriation flight, she said she felt as if she were “fleeing danger, even though it’s a relatively safe country.”
The plane carried staff of the airline as well as many families, young children, and pregnant women, government minister Eleonore Caroit told reporters at the airport.
“It was a complex process, with constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation, with airspace opening and closing and the situation changing from hour to hour,” Caroit added.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster France 2 there would be several flights on Wednesday, including one to repatriate French nationals from the United Arab Emirates.
Another flight, out of Egypt, will bring back “some of our most vulnerable compatriots” from Israel, he said.
More French nationals are getting in contact with consular authorities, “but not all of them want to return to France,” said Caroit.
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