The United States is awaiting Russia's response to the offer to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for one year in exchange for Russia freezing the number of its nuclear warheads during the same period, US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2020) The United States is awaiting Russia's response to the offer to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for one year in exchange for Russia freezing the number of its nuclear warheads during the same period, US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Friday.
"We made a proposal. It was a relatively straightforward proposal that we extend New START for a year and that the Russians cap their nuclear warhead number for a year," O'Brien said. "We'll see if they get back to us and what the response is."
O'Brien made the comment during a question-and-answer session at the Aspen Security Forum. However, he did not address Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion to extend the New START for one year without any conditions.
O'Brien emphasized that the United States is prepared to go forward with a US-Russia arms control deal, but must await Moscow's answer.
"It very well may be that the Russians don't respond and continue to build warheads and refuse a short-term freeze," he said.
O'Brien said also said that Russia may prefer to wait responding to the United States' proposal until the US presidential election scheduled for November 3.
US negotiators have made it clear they want Russia to constraint the buildup of its nuclear arsenal not covered by the original New START.
The treaty - the only remaining arms control accord between the United States and Russia - is set to expire in February.
O'Brien said the US government believes it has made a really fair proposal that will give the parties another year to negotiate an overall big deal.
"We thought we had some favorable movement on that front. [US Special Envoy for Arms Control] Marshall [Billingslea]... and his team went to Helsinki right after my meeting with General [Nikolay] Patrushev in Geneva. We were hopeful that we will get some traction, we thought it was a very fair deal," O'Brien said.
Earlier this week, Billingslea said there is an agreement in principle, but his Russian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, said huge differences still remain.
