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Egypt hosted US, China, Russia, France, UK nuclear talks

The Cairo talks followed a February meeting in Dubai on nuclear non-proliferation as the Biden administration seeks to set new norms with Beijing and Moscow.

Nuclear
An activist wearing a mask of Russia's President Vladimir Putin stands next to fellow activists of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War demonstrate with a mockup of a nuclear bomb in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin on June 23, 2023. — ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Diplomatic and military officials from the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France convened in Egypt’s capital last week to discuss nuclear nonproliferation issues, the Biden administration announced Friday.

The sides met June 13-14 to discuss “strategic risk reduction, as well as nuclear doctrines and policy,” the State Department said in a press release announcing the meetings.

The US side “welcomed the professional approach of the delegations and the inclusion of defense officials in the thematic discussions,” the release read. “The United States will continue efforts to facilitate discussion among nuclear experts from these five countries on these important topics.”

Why it matters: The two-day talks in Cairo followed a previous working-group-level meeting held in Dubai in February. That marked the longest such meeting between the five powers on the subject since the Paris conference in 2021.

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