New Delhi/Moscow, Sep 23 (UNI) Russia is prepared to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), entered into with the United States in 2010, for one more year beyond February 5, 2026, when it is scheduled to expire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
‘’In order to prevent the emergence of a new strategic arms race and preserve an acceptable degree of predictability and restraint, we consider it reasonable to maintain at this turbulent time the status quo established under New START. Accordingly, Russia is prepared to continue observing the Treaty’s central quantitative restrictions for one year after February 5, 2026,’’ President Putin said.
In a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council in Kremlin, President Putin said Russia’s initiative, if implemented, could make a substantial contribution to creating the conditions necessary for a substantive strategic dialogue with the United States – provided that the grounds for its full resumption are secured and that broader steps are taken to normalise bilateral relations and remove core security contradictions.
The New START Treaty entered into force on February 5, 2011. Under the Treaty, the United States and Russia had seven years to meet the Treaty’s central limits on strategic offensive arms (by February 5, 2018) and were then obligated to maintain those limits for as long as the Treaty remains in force. Those limits are: 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments; 1,550 nuclear warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments (each such heavy bomber is counted as one warhead towards this limit); 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.
The New START Treaty will expire on February 5, 2026, signalling the imminent end of the last international accord directly limiting nuclear missile capabilities. A complete renunciation of this Treaty’s legacy would be a grave and short-sighted mistake. It would also have adverse implications for the objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, President Putin said.
He said that for nearly 15 years, this agreement has played a constructive role in maintaining balance and predictability in the sphere of strategic offensive weapons.
‘’Based on a careful assessment of the situation, we will make a definite decision on whether to uphold these voluntary self-limitations. We believe that this measure is only feasible if the United States acts in a similar spirit and refrains from steps that would undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrence,’’ he said.
He directed the agencies to maintain close oversight of American activities related to the START arsenal in the first place. Particular attention must be directed towards US plans to expand strategic components of its missile defence system, including preparations for the deployment of interceptors in outer space.
‘’We believe that the practical implementation of such destabilising measures could nullify our efforts to maintain the status quo in the field of strategic offensive arms. We will respond appropriately in this case,’’ he added.
He said Russia’s plans to strengthen the country’s defence capability are being developed with full regard to the evolving international situation, and they are being implemented in a comprehensive and timely manner.
‘’We are confident in the reliability and effectiveness of our national deterrent forces. At the same time, we are not seeking to further escalate tensions or fuel an arms race. Russia has consistently upheld the primacy of political and diplomatic methods for maintaining global peace, based on the principles of equality, the indivisibility of security, and mutual respect for interests,’’ President Putin said.
‘’Let me remind you that the last major political and diplomatic achievement in the field of strategic stability was the conclusion of the New START in 2010. However, owing to the profoundly hostile policies of the Biden administration, which undermined the fundamental principles on which this Treaty was built, its full implementation was suspended in 2023,’’ President Putin added.
He, however, said both parties have declared their intention to continue voluntarily observing the central quantitative limits of the strategic offensive arms Treaty until its expiry.
