US To Focus On China's Growing Nuclear Arsenal As Biden Administration Extends New START With Russia

The US on Wednesday (3 February) extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for five years, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Extending the New START Treaty ensures we have verifiable limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers until February 5, 2026," said Blinken, adding that the extension "makes the United States, US allies and partners, and the world safer", Xinhua news agency reported.

"Especially during times of tension, verifiable limits on Russia's intercontinental-range nuclear weapons are vitally important," he said.

Blinken noted that Washington would use the five-year extension period to seek arms control with Moscow that addresses all of the Russian nuclear weapons.

The US Secretary of State said that America will also pursue "arms control to reduce the dangers from China’s modern and growing nuclear arsenal".

The New START, which limits the numbers of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and delivery systems to 700 for each, is the last remaining nuclear arms control pact in force between the two nuclear superpowers.

The treaty can be extended by a maximum of five years with the consent of the two countries.

The former Donald Trump-led administration tried to conclude a shorter extension of the treaty last year after rounds of negotiation with Russia, but the two sides failed to finalize a formal agreement.

#USRussia #USChina #NuclearArms

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