US Security Advisor: Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty Will Not Be Extended
(Baonghean.vn) - US National Security Advisor John Bolton said on July 31 that the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is not yet complete. Therefore, it is likely that it will not be extended after it expires in February 2021, but no official decision has been made yet.
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AdviserUS National Security John Bolton. Photo: Getty |
"The New START nuclear agreement, adopted in 2010, was flawed from the start. It does not cover Russia's new short-range strategic nuclear weapons or delivery systems," Bolton said at the annual National Conservative Student Convention in Washington, D.C. "START is scheduled to expire in February 2021, and although no decision has been made, it is unlikely to be extended. Why continue an incomplete system just to show that you have a treaty?"
Mr. Bolton also added that the US is ready for a new nuclear deal that includes both Russia and China.
The New START treaty was signed in 2010 and is currently the only arms control agreement between Russia and the US. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it is open to dialogue on the future of the treaty.
Regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, on the same day, Mr. Bolton confirmed that Washington will officially withdraw from this treaty on the deadline of August 2.
Mr. Bolton accused Russia of violating the INF Treaty, saying that Moscow continued to develop advanced missile systems and hypersonic launch systems as well as modernize its arsenal. Mr. Bolton emphasized that China continued to develop intermediate-range weapons while the US was "tied" by the INF Treaty.
