UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US decision to seek a five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and encouraged both sides to quickly complete the necessary steps to begin talks on new arms control measures, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2021) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US decision to seek a five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and encouraged both sides to quickly complete the necessary steps to begin talks on new arms control measures, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday.
"The Secretary-General welcomes the decision by the United States to seek a five-year extension of the New Start Treaty, as well as the Russian Federation's reiteration that it also seeks a five-year extension," Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General encourages both states to work quickly to complete the necessary procedure for the New Start's extension before the fifth of February expiration, and move as soon as possible to negotiations on new arms control measures."
New START has been in force since 2011 and is due to expire on February 5. It is the only remaining legally binding agreement on nuclear arms control between Russia and the United States. The treaty limits each country's nuclear arsenal to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 1,550 nuclear warheads and 800 launchers.
