The countries of the European Union urge Russia and the United States to reduce their nuclear arsenal. This is stated in the statement of the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
On behalf of the European Union, the diplomat welcomed the extension by Moscow and Washington of the Treaty on Measures to Further Reduce and Limit Strategic Offensive Arms (START, unofficially called START-3). At the same time, the EU stressed that Russia and the United States, as two states possessing the largest nuclear arsenals, bear a special responsibility in the field of disarmament and arms control.
“We call for further reductions in their arsenals, including strategic and non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed nuclear weapons,” the statement said. Borrell also stressed that the parties must continue negotiations to lay the groundwork for the signing of new arms control agreements.
Earlier on February 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the extension of the START Treaty with the United States. Moscow and Washington exchanged relevant notes. The countries have officially extended the missile treaty for five years. Thus, it will operate as signed until February 5, 2026.
The Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Agreement was signed in 2010 by the then presidents of Russia and the United States, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. It came into force in 2011 and expired in February 2021.
The treaty stipulates that each side must not have more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and strategic bombers. In total, they can carry no more than 1,550 warheads.
The total number of deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs and SLBMs, as well as deployed and non-deployed bombers, shall not exceed 800.
