MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) Russia put in place all necessary internal mechanisms for a prompt extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) weeks before US President Joe Biden's inauguration, counting on the United States to exercise common sense and uphold the deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"I will not disclose any big secrets. What I would say is that we hoped that US President Joe Biden would employ common sense. Therefore, several weeks before his inauguration, we did every necessary thing within our legislation for an agreement to extend New START," Lavrov told the SolovyovLive show on YouTube.
This was because Moscow "simply braced for the optimistic scenario in order to avoid time trouble," the minister added.
On February 3, Russia and the United States officially extended New START, the only remaining legally binding arms control agreement between the two nations that own the world's largest nuclear stockpiles. The treaty is now set to expire on February 5, 2026.
The administration of ex-US President Donald Trump long sought drafting a new arms control treaty that would also include China or revising the terms of the existing one, which neither Beijing nor Moscow supported.
Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20. His administration agreed to extend New START for five more years without any renegotiation of terms. The deal is premised on the proposition that each side ultimately reduce their nuclear arsenal to total 700 missiles, 1,550 warheads and 800 launchers.
