Europe Open to Revisiting Cold-War-Era Arms Control Talks With Russia, FT Reports

In brief

• European officials are reportedly willing to revisit arms control talks with Russia.
• The discussions could cover limits on certain missile deployments and the Open Skies treaty.
• The Trump administration is reportedly seeking a Kremlin-approved meeting with European representatives.
• Open Skies was signed in 1992; the United States left in 2020 and Russia in 2021.

Europe signals readiness to talk

European officials are ready to resume discussions with Russia on agreements that once kept military competition in check, the Financial Times reported (В Европе готовы обсуждать с Россией возвращение к механизмам предотвращения конфликтов времен холодной войны — FT – TV Rain). The paper said the topics include treaties restricting the deployment of certain types of missiles and the Open Skies treaty.

Washington presses for a meeting

According to the report, the Trump administration is trying to get the Kremlin to agree to a meeting that would include European representatives. No date or venue for such a meeting was reported.

What Open Skies was

The Open Skies treaty was signed in 1992 and allowed member states to fly over each other's territory to monitor military activity. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2020, and Russia followed in 2021.

What comes next

The reported shift marks a possible change in the European position after years of stalled arms control diplomacy. Whether Moscow agrees to a meeting, and what format it would take, remains unclear from the available reporting.