Russia will find effective ways to protect itself if no agreement is reached with the United States on extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told Sputnik in an interview, stressing that Russia hopes for prolongation of the deal
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) Russia will find effective ways to protect itself if no agreement is reached with the United States on extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told Sputnik in an interview, stressing that Russia hopes for prolongation of the deal.
US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea told Russian newspaper Kommersant that the New START, which is the only remaining Russian-US arms control deal in force, will not be extended if Washington and Moscow fail to conclude a relevant presidential memorandum by February. If Russia opposes the memorandum, the US will be happy to keep modernizing its nuclear arsenal without limitations imposed by the New START, Billingslea also noted.
"If the deal is not extended, we will find effective ways to protect ourselves," Nebenzia pledged.
"We are certainly interested in extending the treaty, as we see it as a key element of the strategic stability. We tell our US colleagues that the failure to extend it would be a great mistake," Nebenzia added.
