A Status Update On TheNTI-CENESS Dialogue On The Future Of U.S.-Russian Cooperation On Peaceful Nuclear Uses

Since 2016, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) have led a dialogue to bridge American and Russian nuclear expert communities and foster ideas for the resumption of U.S.-Russian cooperation on peaceful nuclear uses. This paper will provide (1) an overview of the strategic objectives of this dialogue; (2) review the major outcomes of the May 2019 meeting of the dialogue; and (3) offer ideas for possible future directions of this dialogue. The paper will also discuss the authors’ views on the conditions under which the recommendations of the dialogue could be acted upon by the U.S. and Russian governments, as well as the most important immediate steps that would need to be taken for a resumption of bilateral cooperation if and when those conditions are met.