High-level US, Russian envoys meet in latest strategic talks

GENEVA (AP) — High-level Russian and U.S. diplomats are meeting in Geneva as part of strategic talks revived by presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin at a June summit, with contentious issues like nuclear weapons and cyberspace on the table.

The second-ranked U.S diplomat, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, held several hours of talks Thursday with Russian counterpart Sergey Ryabkov at Russia’s diplomatic mission in Geneva — the second round following up on an earlier one at the U.S. mission in the Swiss capital in July.

Little progress was made at the first meeting, which took place after the two countries’ leaders revived the channel of communication at their Geneva summit.

A senior State Department official has said Thursday’s agenda included traditional nuclear arms control, the use of space and artificial intelligence, and cyber matters. However, the cyber discussion was focused on strategic issues and nuclear weapons — and not ransomware or hacking, the official said.

There was no immediate readout about whether any progress was made in the talks.