美国和俄罗斯双方正朝着延长两国间最后一个主要核军备控制条约并冻结两国核武库一年的协议迈进。
这项可能达成的协议可以避免新一轮的核军备竞赛，至少目前是这样，这可能意味着总统唐纳德·特朗普和俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京将在未来几周会面，这是特朗普长期以来一直追求的签署仪式，即2020年总统大选选举隐约出现。
但世界上最大的两个核大国在《新裁武条约》(New START)上仍有差距。2010年的条约限制双方拥有1550枚战略核弹头，并包括现场视察和数据共享等核查措施。
周二，俄罗斯外交部表示，莫斯科愿意“冻结”延长《新裁武条约》，此前普京上周表示，他只会“无条件”同意延长。
特朗普的国家安全顾问罗伯特·奥布莱恩(Robert O'Brien)上周五在一份声明中表示，这是“不可能的”，并指责俄罗斯政府发出了含混不清的信息:“这对双方都是一场胜利，我们相信，当我在日内瓦会见我的对手时，俄罗斯人愿意接受这一提议，”奥布莱恩说。
周二，俄罗斯外交部略微接近美国的冻结提议，国务院呼吁立即进行谈判，以最终达成协议。
“我们赞赏俄罗斯联邦愿意在核军备控制问题上取得进展。美国准备立即会晤，以最终达成一项可核查的协议，”国务院发言人摩根·奥尔塔格斯在一份声明中说。
但俄罗斯外交部对“可核查的协议”只字未提，而是提出“在此期间‘冻结’双方拥有的核弹头数量的政治义务”。这一立场只有在美国方面不会提出任何额外要求的情况下才能得到严格和完全的理解。”
这将球扔回美国法院，这已经成为一场公开谈判。美国可能仍然要求某种核查制度，以确保俄罗斯不会在冻结问题上作弊，或者继续坚持其他措施，例如将中国纳入未来的核军备控制谈判。
特朗普的首席谈判代表、总统军备控制特使马歇尔·比林斯利(Marshall Billingslea)一再坚持认为，谈判必须有中国政府的参与，中国政府的核武库规模小得多，但增长迅速。
俄罗斯政府尚未对国务院要求“立即”会晤的呼吁做出回应，尽管其外交部抨击特朗普政府在“社交媒体”上进行谈判，称其从未收到对普京上周言论的正式回应。
更多:俄罗斯新的巡航导弹在测试中坠毁:美国
“交易是有可能的，但目前还不清楚是否已经达成。卡内基国际和平基金会核政策项目联合主任詹姆斯·阿克顿在一份声明中说自录音再现装置发出的高音。“如果美国希望在大选前达成协议，那么要么(1)美国必须让步，不接受任何核查;或者(二)美国将不得不接受俄罗斯关于谈判核查安排的承诺，因为不可能在两周内完成。两者都是可能性;两者都远非板上钉钉。”
特朗普长期以来一直在夸大自己的谈判能力，但他的政府已经退出了几项军备控制条约，包括《中程核力量条约》(INF)、《开放天空条约》(Open Skies Treaty)和《联合国武器贸易条约》(United Nations ' Arms Trade Treaty)。
US, Russia move closer to deal to extend last nuclear arms control pact
The U.S. and Russia are moving closer toward an agreement to extend the last major nuclear arms control pact between them and freeze both countries' nuclear arsenals for one year.
The possible deal could avoid a new nuclear arms race, at least for the moment, and could mean that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in the coming weeks -- a signing ceremony Trump has long pursued, with the 2020 presidential election looming.
But there are still gaps between the world's two largest nuclear powers over New START, the 2010 treaty that limits each side to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and includes verification measures like on-site inspections and data sharing.
MORE: Lawmakers, experts warn of potential arms race as New START Treaty expires in less than a year
The opening came Tuesday after Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow is willing to extend New START with a "freeze," after Putin said last week that he would only agree to an extension "without pre-conditions."
In this on July 29, 2017 file photo, the Russian nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy is moored near Kronstadt, a seaport town located west of St. Petersburg, Russia.
Trump's National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said in statement Friday that was a "non-starter" and blamed the Russian government for sending mixed messages: "This would have been a win for both sides, and we believed the Russians were willing to accept this proposal when I met with my counterpart in Geneva," O'Brien said.
On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry inched closer to the U.S. proposal for a freeze, and the State Department called for immediate talks to finalize a deal.
"We appreciate the Russian Federation's willingness to make progress on the issue of nuclear arms control. The United States is prepared to meet immediately to finalize a verifiable agreement," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
But the Russian Foreign Ministry said nothing about a "verifiable agreement," instead proposing a "political obligation for 'freezing' for that period the quantity of nuclear warheads possessed by both sides. This position can be realized strictly and exclusively within the understanding that a 'freeze' of warheads will not be accompanied by any kind of additional demands from the side of the U.S."
That throws the ball back into the U.S. court in what has become a public negotiation. The U.S. may still demand a verification regime of some kind to ensure Russia doesn't cheat on a freeze -- or continue to insist on other measures, such as a reference to including China in future nuclear arms control talks.
Marshal Billingslea, President Trump's special envoy for arms control takes questions during a news conference in Vienna, June 23, 2020.
Trump's chief negotiator, special presidential envoy for arms control Marshall Billingslea, has repeatedly insisted that talks must involve the Chinese government, which has a much smaller, but rapidly growing nuclear arsenal.
The Russian government has not yet responded to the State Department call for meeting "immediately," although its foreign ministry attacked the Trump administration for negotiating on "social media," saying it never received an official response to Putin's comments last week.
MORE: Russia's new cruise missile has crashed in testing: US
"A deal is possible, but it's unclear whether it's close. A disagreement over whether verification is needed is pretty significant," said James Acton, co-director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Nuclear Policy Program in a tweet. "If the U.S. wants a deal before the election, then either (i) the U.S. will have to back down and accept no verification; or (ii) the U.S. will have to accept a Russian promise to negotiate verification arrangements since it's not possible to do so in 2 weeks. Both are possibilities; both are far from assured."
Trump has long played up his ability to negotiate, but his administration has walked away from several arms control pacts, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Open Skies Treaty, and the United Nations' Arms Trade Treaty.
