Russia and the United States have started practical work on the issue of extending START-3
Moscow and Washington have announced their readiness to extend START-3 for five years, and the work of experts on this issue has already begun, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Progress in this direction appeared after the White House was occupied by Democrat Joe Biden. His Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, insisted on including China in the agreement. The agreement ends on February 5, 2021.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the work of experts to agree on the extension of the Treaty on Measures to Further Reduce Offensive Weapons from 2010, better known as START-3, between Russia and the United States has begun.
"I can only say that experts are actively working in this direction. This is a practical work, and it has started, "the diplomat said on the TV channel"Russia 24".
The American side also confirmed its desire to extend START-3 earlier. "I can confirm that the United States intends to seek a five-year extension of the Start Treaty. This possibility is provided for by the agreement, " White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on January 21.
NATO said it supports the desire of Russia and the United States to extend this treaty. "We should not find ourselves in a situation where there is no agreement limiting the number of nuclear warheads. Therefore, the extension of the START is very important, because if the treaty is not extended, it will cease to be in effect in February, " said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
According to him, all NATO member countries support the decision of Moscow and Washington, as this treaty is of "great importance". "NATO has supported arms control for decades, and we must not allow the collapse of the START Treaty. However, its extension is not the end, it is only the beginning of the process of intensifying international efforts on arms control, which should cover more weapons systems and include new member countries, in particular, China, " the Secretary General of the alliance said.
He also expects that the United States "will continue to consult with its allies on arms control."
The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky, stressed the importance of extending START-3 until the end of its validity period, in order to preserve "thereby the foundations of the nuclear deterrent system." At the same time, he noted that this should be done without additional conditions, that is, in its current form.
"Further, during the next term of its validity, it will be possible to talk about the conclusion of some new agreements in the field of arms control, taking into account the modernization of the armed forces of both sides. If necessary, and there will be good will on both sides. But this is the next iteration, " he said.
"We are ready for a dialogue. The ball is on the American side here. We are waiting for specific proposals. There is very little time left, the bill goes for days, since the contract, as you know, expires on February 5, " Slutsky recalled.
At the same time, he noted that the State Duma is ready to "promptly join in the preparation of the ratification process in the Russian parliament" if the parties decide to extend the agreement.
The DCFTA was signed between Washington and Moscow in 2010. Its terms imply the reduction of strategic weapons so that in the future the total number of such weapons does not exceed 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers (TB), 1,550 warheads on them, 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM, SLBM and TB launchers.
For a long time, the administration of former President of the United States Donald Trump delayed the extension of this agreement. Trump insisted on including China in the agreement, believing that this country also has a sufficient number of START.
Angelina Milchenko