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World community interested in preserving New START — Finnish leader

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said he discussed the extension of New START with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo

WASHINGTON, October 3. /TASS/. The international community is interested in signing new arms control agreements and in preserving the 2010 Russian-US New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said at a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday.

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"We can’t let the situation return no agreement at all about arms control. And that is why it is important to try to negotiate new agreements and to continue the New START Agreement. That will be a good new start for international cooperation on that," the Finnish leader said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said he discussed the extension of the New START and a moratorium on medium-range missile tests during his meeting with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

Prior to that, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation Christopher Ford said the incumbent administration is yet to make the final decision on whether the treaty should be extended. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia hoped to reach an agreement with Washington on the issue before the start of the active presidential campaign in the US.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) was signed in 2010 and it entered into force on February 5, 2011.

The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and strategic bombers.

The New START Treaty obliges the parties to exchange information on the number of warheads and carriers twice a year.

The New START Treaty will remain in force during 10 years until 2021, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement. It may be extended for a period of no more than five years (i.e. until 2026) upon the parties’ mutual consent.

Moscow has numerously called on Washington not to delay the issue of the Treaty’s possible prolongation.

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