U.S. Pushes for Tripartite Nuclear Treaty as China Signals Non-Participation

Monday, February 23, 2026, 2:26 p.m. EST

A senior U.S. State Department official said the United States met with a Russian delegation in Geneva on Monday and will hold talks with a Chinese delegation on Tuesday to forge a potential multilateral nuclear arms control treaty.

The United States has called for a new, broader arms control agreement that would bring China and Russia into the fold following the expiration of the New START treaty, which limited U.S. and Russian missile and warhead deployments.

China’s ambassador for disarmament, Shen Jian, stated this month that his country would not participate in new negotiations for nuclear arms control with Moscow and Washington at this stage. It was not immediately clear whether Tuesday’s talks would involve formal negotiations.

The Chinese and Russian permanent missions in Geneva did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Earlier in February, the U.S. alleged that China conducted a secret nuclear test in June 2020, which Shen unequivocally denied.

The official noted they had already conducted good bilateral discussions with the United Kingdom and France, both of whom are members of the UN Security Council.

“Taking discussions to the five permanent members of the Security Council was the next logical step,” the official stated, adding that they were optimistic about the process.