Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on the United States and Russia to extend the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START III) for five years without any delay. RIA Novosti reports this with reference to Guterres' speech.
“The growing mistrust and tension between the states possessing nuclear weapons has increased the nuclear risks,” the politician stressed. In his opinion, breaking the treaty could lead to a qualitative arms race – based not on the number of warheads, but on the improvement of nuclear weapons. Unlimited strategic competition in this area is very dangerous, Guterres said.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov indicated that the Russian side is ready to agree to an extension of less than five years, although it wants a five-year term.
Prior to that, Ryabkov had argued that Russia would refuse to extend START III on Washington's terms. He noted that Moscow cannot speak with ultimatums, and US attempts to put pressure on arms control only diminish the chances of an agreement.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) 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.
