US explains refusal to extend START-3 without any conditions
The United States refuses to extend the Treaty on the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START-3) without any conditions, US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea said, Sputnik reported.
Billingslea explained that the missile treaty affects 90-92% of the entire US arsenal, while it only affects 45% or less of Russia's arsenal. According to him, Moscow is strengthening its weapons potential "aimed at NATO".
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| Mr. Billingslea. Photo Sputnik |
The US President's special envoy reiterated that the treaty does not include China, a country that the US administration says needs to be involved in arms control negotiations.
Russia's position on extending START-3
On October 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had sent a note to the United States requesting a one-year extension of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START, informally known as START-3). In a statement, the Russian diplomatic agency stated that Moscow is ready, together with Washington, to implement a political commitment to freeze nuclear warheads possessed by both sides for a certain period of time, but this position can only be implemented if the United States does not make additional demands.
On October 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed extending the current START-3 treaty "without any conditions for at least one more year, so that substantive negotiations on all parameters can be held."
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed in 2010 byPresident of the Russian Federation and President of the United Statesthen Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. The treaty entered into force in 2011 and expires in February 2021.
