The U.S. military said Washington and Moscow have agreed to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue following talks in Abu Dhabi. The move could signal a step toward normalising some ties between the United States and Russia.
In a statement on Thursday (5 February), the U.S. military said maintaining dialogue between armed forces is an important factor in global stability and peace, providing greater transparency and a means for de-escalation.
The United States halted high-level military-to-military communication with Moscow shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The conflict has since become the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two and the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
The agreement follows meetings in Abu Dhabi between the commander of U.S. European Command, General Alexus Grynkewich, and senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials.
U.S. European Command said the renewed channel would provide consistent military-to-military contact as efforts continue toward avoiding further escalation.
Although high-level talks were suspended in 2021, the United States and Russia maintained an emergency deconfliction line, particularly to manage risks involving aircraft and military activity near NATO airspace, Syria and the Black Sea.
The renewed dialogue marks a rare moment of rapprochement between the world’s two largest nuclear powers and comes after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed a desire to normalise relations with Moscow.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken directly on several occasions despite broader diplomatic tensions.
U.S. European Command said the aim of restoring the mechanism was to avoid misunderstanding and escalation by either side, even as the war in Ukraine continues.
The announcement also comes amid uncertainty over the future of nuclear arms control, following the expiry of the New START treaty on 5 February 2026. The agreement, signed in 2010, limited each side to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads deployed on no more than 700 missiles or bombers.
Russia said it regretted the treaty’s expiry but remained ready to engage in dialogue. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would respond positively if Washington showed willingness to negotiate.
Trump, however, has criticised New START, writing on social media that instead of extending the treaty, the United States should work on a new and modernised agreement.
The Axios news service reported that negotiations in Abu Dhabi were under way to keep observing key elements of the treaty.
The expiry of New START leaves the United States and Russia without a formal legal framework restraining their nuclear arsenals for the first time in half a century.
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