START TREATY: JCIC-DIP-08-007: SATISFYING ARTICLE XVII REQUIREMENT TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO EXTEND START

SECRET S E C R E T KYIV 002185 GENEVA FOR JCIC E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018 TAGS: PARM, KACT, START, JCIC, UP SUBJECT: START TREATY: JCIC-DIP-08-007: SATISFYING ARTICLE XVII REQUIREMENT TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO EXTEND START REF: STATE 112253 Classified By: Political Counselor Colin Cleary for reasons 1.4 (b/d). 1. (S) Embassy delivered reftel diplomatic note on October 30 to Ambassador Oleksandr Nykonenko, Director of the Arms Control and Military and Technical Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nykonenko agreed that the November Joint Compliance and Inspection Commission (JCIC) session in Geneva would meet the requirement under the START Treaty for a meeting of all five parties no later than one year before the expiration of the Treaty to consider whether to extend START. 2. (S) Nykonenko, who recently replaced Volodymir Belashov, stressed that Ukraine is following the post-START process with great interest. Ukraine's objective is a legally binding post-START arrangement. Nykonenko commented that Ukraine had given up its nuclear weapons based on the 1994 trilateral U.S.-Ukraine-Russia statement, which offered security guarantees. It might be time for a new trilateral statement, he asserted. Nykonenko added that important work remains to be done in Ukraine under START, notably SS-24 solid fuel rocket motor elimination. 3. (S) Nykonenko requested that the U.S. and Ukraine meet bilaterally on the margins of the JCIC to discuss post-START and other non-proliferation issues. TAYLOR NNNN End Cable Text