Putin, Biden Extended New START For Five Years

The question of ratifying the agreement extending START-3 (New START) appeared on the agenda of the State Duma and the Federation Council after a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. From the conversation, which the Kremlin press service called frank, it became clear: the new American administration, unlike the previous one, is ready to accept Russia's proposal and extend New START without conditions. The proposal put forward by Vladimir Putin over a year ago.

After the US withdrew from a number of international arms limitation treaties, New START remained the last stronghold of deterrence. It was signed in 2010 by Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama.

Russia and United States approached this year with nuclear parity, about 2,500 warheads each. Russia was ahead in silo-based missiles, but the US was superior in submarine missiles. New START further reduced this number to 1550 warheads on 700 carriers. At the same time, the agreement implies mutual inspections, the exchange of telemetry, that is, it provides opportunities for mutual control.

The agreement is valid until February of this year, and the Trump administration did not want to renew it in its current form. Russia, however, has consistently advocated maintaining the status quo. Indeed, only on a parity basis can a truly effective deterrence be ensured and the world free from the threat of an arms race and a major war.

The State Duma included the New START issue as the first issue. Even before the vote, it was clear that the ratification of the agreement would be supported by all parliamentary factions. As a result, the Treaty was ratified unanimously. And literally an hour later, the Federation Council also unanimously approved the New START.

The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the pragmatism demonstrated by the Biden administration in its early days in power. Russia is ready to cooperate with the United States on strategic stability issues, again on the basis of reciprocity, without unilateral concessions.

And although Moscow does not expect a sudden warming of relations with America, the New START continuation will still make our world less unpredictable.