Are the prospects for a new round of nuclear reduction talks with Russia increasing? Perhaps so, according to statements from Moscow and Washington late last that emerged from Geneva. Both acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed optimism after the meetings, with Ryabkov signaling that progress was made. The talks, however, remain in their infancy and no formal agreements have been broached. “Rose Gottemoeller and I share the opinion that there is progress in the negotiations,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying in Russian media. “We have planned new contacts at various levels for the coming period. Intensity of these contacts is not declining but in fact increasing, which shows that the work is moving ahead vigorously.” Gottemoelller was equally positive after the meetings. “Busy, but productive few days in Geneva,” Gottemoeller said in a Twitter post. The progress between the countries appears to be boosted by the recent announcement from the United States that it was scrapping the final portion of a European missile defense system while beefing up missile defense plans in Alaska.