ARMS CONTROL TALKS

The Biden administration said Monday that Russia has abruptly and without explanation postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week.

The State Department said Russia had “unilaterally postponed” a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission that was scheduled to begin today in Egypt and last through next week. It said Russia had promised to propose new dates but had offered no reason for the delay.

“The United States is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible date as resuming inspections is a priority for sustaining the treaty as an instrument of stability,” the department said. It said it had no details on why Russia wanted the postponement or when the talks might be rescheduled.