BERLIN, June 24. /TASS/. Germany hails the nuclear arms control talks between Russia and the United States and calls for renewal of the Russian-US nuclear arms reduction treaty (known as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or New START), German Foreign Office Spokesperson Christofer Burger said at a briefing in Berlin on Wednesday.

"The federal government welcomes the fact that Russia and the United States held a constructive round of strategic talks. A good signal is that both sides have agreed to continue the dialogue," he said.

According to the spokesman, despite the fact, that New Start is a bilateral treaty, it is "crucial for Europe", as it forms a proper basis for disarmament.

On June 22, Russia and the United States held talks on strategic stability and arms control behind closed doors in Vienna. The countries’ delegations were headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea. The renewal of New START was also on the table of the talks.

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) 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 will remain in force for 10 years, until February 5, 2021, unless it is replaced before that date by a subsequent agreement on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. It can also be extended for no longer than 5 years (that is, until 2026) by the parties’ mutual consent.

Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington not to delay prolongation of the treaty it describes as a golden standard in the area of disarmament.