I welcome the announcement from both the Russian Federation and the United States that they will extend the New START Treaty for a further five years. This Treaty, which places limits on both countries’ nuclear arsenals, is critical for international and European security. It also contributes to the implementation of both countries’ nuclear disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
I encourage the Russian Federation, the United States and other countries to engage actively on broader follow-on agreements, including to limit and reduce the stockpile of nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons.
ENDS
Press Office
3 February 2021
Notes for Editors
- New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation which placed limits on the numbers of deployed strategic nuclear weapons and on deployed and non-deployed missiles, bombers and launchers.
- It entered into force in 2010 and was due to expire on 5 February 2021. A provision of the Treaty allowed for it to be extended for a further five years, subject to the agreement of both parties.
- The Russian Federation and the United States formally agreed its extension on 3 February 2021.
- With the withdrawal of the United States and the Russian Federation from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) in 2019, New START is the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the world’s two largest Nuclear Weapon States.
