PoliticoJoe Biden to seek full 5-year extension of New START nuclear pact with Russia
- The announcement on the first full day of Biden’s presidency is intended to prevent a nuclear arms race
- The treaty, which has limited the US and Russia to 1,550 nuclear warheads each, expires on February 5
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Bryan Bender on politico.com on January 21, 2021.
US President Joe Biden has decided to accept Russia’s offer to extend the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty for the full five years and is proposing that the two sides “explore new verifiable arms control agreements” in the future.
The overture could be a bright spot in an otherwise tense relationship in the opening days of the new administration.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which caps Washington and Moscow’s deployed nuclear weapons at 1,550 each, is set to expire on February 5 unless both sides agree to keep it in force.
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“The United States intends to seek a five-year extension of New START as the treaty permits,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. “The president has long been clear that the New START Treaty is in the national security interests of the United States.