The House of Representatives of the US Congress opposed the extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START, the unofficial name – START-3) with Russia for five years. The corresponding statement was published on the website of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Republican Congressmen Michael McCall of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Mike Rogers of the War Committee of the US House of Representatives spoke out against it. They criticized the administration of the new US President Joe Biden for the decision to extend START with Russia by five years.
“It is disappointing that the Biden administration is missing out on an opportunity to agree on a more serious version of a new START Treaty, which would include non-strategic nuclear weapons, new weapons systems not covered by the original treaty, and an enhanced verification regime,” the statement said.
The text also says that extending the agreement for five years in its previous version will deprive the United States of “the most important levers of influence” to return Russia to the negotiating table. Republicans have called on Biden to seek a shorter extension of the treaty to “get time for more serious negotiations.”
Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres supported the extension of the START Treaty between Russia and the United States, calling it a good way to “support the limitations of the two largest nuclear arsenals.”
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma an agreement to extend the missile treaty with the United States. At a meeting on Wednesday, the agreement introduced by the Russian leader was unanimously approved. The document provides for the extension of the START Treaty until February 5, 2026.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed in 2010 by the Presidents of Russia and the United States – Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. The agreement came into force in 2011 and expires in February 2021.
