Military

UN Chief Says US, Russia Must Negotiate on New START, Agree on Successor Treaty

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The United States and Russia must lead the way to a nuclear weapons reduction as well as find a way back to the negotiating table to implement the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and agree on a successor treaty, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.
Sputnik
"This reduction must be led by the holders of the largest nuclear arsenals, the United States and the Russian Federation, who must find a way back to the negotiating table to fully implement the New START Treaty and agree on its successor," Guterres said during a meeting of the UN Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation.
Analysis
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his annual press conference in January that Moscow sees no possibility for a strategic dialogue with Washington at the moment. The West must stop anti-Russian rhetoric to create a possibility for such talks.
Russia does not reject the option of negotiations, as well as "the possibility of a political and diplomatic settlement" on the issue of strategic stability, but Washington wants to resume control over the Russian nuclear arsenal under the guise of reciprocity, Lavrov stated.
New START, which stands for New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, entered into force in 2011. Ten years later, Russia and the US countries negotiated an extension until February 2026.
Moscow suspended its participation in the accord in February 2023.
President Vladimir Putin said that the US demanded that Russia unconditionally fulfill its obligations under the treaty while being arbitrary about its own obligations. He also said any Russian return to talks would require clarity about how NATO's combined nuclear strike potential would be taken into account since the current treaty does not cover the nuclear arsenals of France and the United Kingdom.
In June, the US announced its "countermeasures" in response to Russia’s suspension of the treaty.
Both sides say they continue to abide by New START's numerical limits.
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