Carnegie Moscow Center
Nearly two years after President Obama’s reset of bilateral relations with Russia, the ratification of New START by the U.S. Congress is an important step forward both for U.S.-Russia cooperation and for global nuclear security.
Having cleared the Senate, New START is now proceeding towards implementation, but the method for verifying the dismantlement of warheads remains a key challenge that must be resolved in a future agreement.
Achieving a genuinely collaborative approach to missile defense would address a common threat to the Euro-Atlantic region and help remove the misgivings that are blocking progress toward a common security space.
A Euro-Atlantic security community would be built on a transformed strategic relationship between the United States, NATO, and Russia, and reconciliation between Moscow and Central and Eastern Europe.
The civil nuclear cooperation deal, or 123 agreement, will greatly improve the ability of both Russia and the United States to prevent proliferation and it will advance mutual interests, improve relations, and deliver on the promise of the reset.
A critical component of the reset in U.S.-Russian relations, the Bilateral Presidential Commission facilitates engagement among government, business, and civil society actors on topics ranging from nuclear energy to public health.
As it negotiates the fate of New START, Washington should not lose sight of the importance of continued cooperation with Russia across a broad range of issues.
Despite the reset, a values gap still exists between Russia and the United States that could limit progress, undermine trust and confidence in the bilateral relationship, and raise difficult issues that cannot be ignored.
Joint efforts by Russia and the EU, or Russia and NATO, to mediate specific regional conflicts could help build up the trust necessary to form a solid foundation for a new European security architecture.
The results of the NATO summit in Lisbon, aimed at promoting cooperation between NATO and Russia, are a strong and useful platform for the continued transformation of the Russian-Western strategic relationship.