The United States is ready to immediately hold a meeting with the Russian side to resolve differences over an agreement on the extension of the Treaty on Measures to Reduce and Limit Strategic Offensive Arms (START, unofficially called START-3). This is stated in the statement of the head of the press service of the US State Department Morgan Ortegus.
“We are grateful to the Russian Federation for its willingness to make progress on nuclear arms control. The US is ready to meet immediately to finalize the agreement, which will be subject to verification, ”Ortegus said. She said Washington hopes Russia will authorize its diplomats to do the same.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that they had sent the United States a note with a proposal to extend the missile treaty for a year. In a statement, the diplomatic service clarified that Moscow is ready, together with Washington, to undertake a political commitment to freeze the nuclear warheads held by the parties for a specified period, but this position can be implemented only if the United States does not present additional requirements.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed in 2010 by the then presidents of Russia and the United States, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. The agreement came into force in 2011 and expires in February 2021.
