US proposes five-year extension of New START arms treaty with Russia
By Li Zhiwei
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US President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 response before signing executive orders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2021. (Photo: AFP)

Washington (People’s Daily) – The White House said on Thursday that President Joe Biden will seek a five-year extension to the New START arms control treaty with Russia. This treaty, which will expire on February 5, is currently the only remaining arms control treaty between the US and Russia.

“The president has long been clear that the New START treaty is in the national security interests of the United States. And this extension makes even more sense when the relationship with Russia is adversarial as it is at this time,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing.

Psaki called the treaty “an anchor of strategic stability between our two countries.” The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, John Kirby, said allowing the treaty to lapse would have weakened US understanding of Russia’s nuclear forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during a meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow on December 21, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

The New START arms treaty limits the US and Russia to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads each. During the Trump administration, the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, making the New START arms treaty the only arms control treaty between the world's two largest nuclear weapons state.

A ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from the Plesetsk facility during a drill in northwestern Russia, December 9, 2020. (Photo: AP)

Russia reiterated its willingness to extend the New START arms treaty for 5 years. However, the Trump administration has never reached an agreement with Russia on the extension of the treaty.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it remained committed to extending New START arms treaty and would welcome efforts promised by the Biden administration to reach agreement.