The United States and Russia have agreed to further reduce nuclear arsenals
On February 3, US President Joe Biden extended the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START-3 Treaty) for a period of five years. The State Department called the decision a first step towards fulfilling the US president’s promise to neutralize the nuclear threat.
“President Biden has promised Americans security from the nuclear threat by restoring US leadership in arms control and non-proliferation. Today, the United States has taken the first step towards fulfilling this promise: we have extended the START-3 agreement with the Russian Federation for five years,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, this decision was preceded by an exchange of notes between the Russian Federation and the United States on the completion of internal procedures to prepare for the extension of the Treaty until February 5, 2026. The Russian parliament ratified the agreement with the United States on the extension of the START-3 agreement on January 27.
The START-3 agreement was signed by Russia and the United States in 2010. It entered into force on February 5, 2011. If it is not extended, the agreement would expire on February 5, 2021.
The agreement provides for the reduction of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 units, intercontinental ballistic missiles, ballistic missiles of submarines and heavy bombers — up to 700 units, as well as deployed and non-deployed launchers — up to 800 units. The agreement obliges the parties to exchange information on the number of warheads and carriers.
