All news

Russian, US experts to hold talks on extending New START in coming days - Kremlin

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that if New START was extended for a year, Moscow was ready to freeze the number of its nuclear warheads for the same period, provided that the US did not put forward additional demands

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Russian and US experts will hold consultations on extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in the coming days, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One’s Great Game show.

"Difficult expert consultations are expected to take place in the coming days with a goal to secure an extension agreement," Peskov pointed out, adding that the experts would particularly talk about freezing the number of nuclear warheads. The Kremlin spokesman also said that "the issue is highly complicated because there are many strong disagreements between Moscow and Washington."

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that if New START was extended for a year, Moscow was ready to freeze the number of its nuclear warheads for the same period, provided that the US did not put forward additional demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16 called on the US to extend the treaty without preconditions but Washington later rejected the initiative.

New START, which came into force in 2011, limits Russia and the US to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. The Treaty is set to remain in effect for ten years (until 2021) unless a new document is signed to replace it. The document can also be extended for no more than five years (that is, until 2026) by mutual agreement of the parties.