Top News EU foreign policy chief determined to preserve Iran nuclear deal Reuters US lawmakers tangle over nuclear arsenal, Russia treaties Defense News Putin, Trump need ‘full scale meeting’ to discuss nuclear pact: Russian source Reuters East Asia President Trump says next meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likely in early 2019 CNN12/3/2018 President Donald Trump said a second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will likely take place in January or February. Middle East EU foreign policy chief determined to preserve Iran nuclear deal Reuters11/27/2018 The European Union’s top diplomat on Tuesday reiterated the bloc’s resolve to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after meeting the head of Islamic Republic’s atomic energy agency. Iran tests medium-range ballistic missile, Pompeo says CNN12/2/2018 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile, violating a United Nations resolution. The launch itself, however, did not appear to determine any capabilities that the US was not aware of, and it did not pose a direct threat, according to a defense official directly familiar with the initial data from the launch. Russia/FSU/Europe The other big Trump-Putin story: Nuclear weapons treaty hangs in the balance as Russia-US tensions rise CNBC11/30/2018 As U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin tease on whether or not they will meet at the annual G-20 summit, a crucial nuclear weapons treaty between the world’s two greatest nuclear powers hangs in the balance. Putin, Trump need ‘full scale meeting’ to discuss nuclear pact: Russian source Reuters11/29/2018 President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin need to meet to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, a Russian diplomatic source said on Thursday, after Trump abruptly canceled bilateral talks with Putin at this week’s G20 summit in Argentina. Multilateral Arms Control UNGA to more closely work with nuclear test ban organization Xinhua11/27/2018 The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday adopted a resolution to boost cooperation between the United Nations and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization(CTBTO). U.S. Nuclear Policy US lawmakers tangle over nuclear arsenal, Russia treaties Defense News12/1/2018 Half of all Republican senators are urging President Donald Trump to take heed of Russia’s growing nuclear weapons capability as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty’s expiration date approaches — just one of many partisan salvos this week in Washington’s fight over the nuclear arsenal and its scope. Opinion and Analysis Congress can save arms control The HillWilliam Courtney and Greg Thielmann 11/26/2018 President Trump is employing novel strategies to obtain deals with North Korea and Iran to eliminate their nuclear arms potential. But obtaining congressional support for any new pacts is not assured. Success may hinge on cooperation between Trump and Congress on negotiating strategy and on foreign and defense policies to buttress any new accords.