Another notch in Barack Obama’s belt.
[IsraelTimes] The United States joins Russia in extending the two countries’ last remaining treaty limiting their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, two days before the pact was set to expire.Secretary of State Antony Blinken says in a statement the US would use the five years of the New START treaty’s renewal to pursue limits on all of Russia’s nuclear weapons. That’s after the Trump administration pulled out of two other such deals, as part of a broad withdrawal from international accords.
The countries last week announced plans to extend the agreement, even as the Biden administration has stepped up criticism of Russia over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, its involvement in a massive hack and other issues.
"Especially during times of tension, verifiable limits on Russia’s intercontinental-range nuclear weapons are vitally important. Extending the New START Treaty makes the United States, US allies and partners, and the world safer," Blinken says. "An unconstrained nuclear competition would endanger us all."
The treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama
teachable moment...
and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits the number of US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons.
The outgoing Trump administration made a late bid to extend the treaty, but Russia rejected its conditions.
The treaty was due to expire Friday. Both houses of the Russian parliament voted unanimously last month for the extension, and President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
signed the bill.
That was after President Joe
Foreign Policy Whiz KidBiden
...Candidate for president in 2020. The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body...and Putin talked and agreed on the extension, part of a quick round of diplomacy by the less than month-old US administration to keep the treaty going. The extension doesn’t require formal congressional approval in the United States.
The Biden administration will also work on control measures for China’s smaller but growing arsenal of nuclear warheads, Blinken says.
Related:
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-02 US secretary warns Iran could collect enough material for nuclear bomb in weeks
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-02 Blinken weighs possible sanctions North Korea as Russia, Iran loom: NBC News
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-01 Secretary of State Antony Blinken Orders LGBT Flags Flown at U.S. Embassies, Will Name Special Envoy for Gay Rights
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-02 US secretary warns Iran could collect enough material for nuclear bomb in weeks
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-02 Blinken weighs possible sanctions North Korea as Russia, Iran loom: NBC News
Antony Blinken: 2021-02-01 Secretary of State Antony Blinken Orders LGBT Flags Flown at U.S. Embassies, Will Name Special Envoy for Gay Rights
Related:
New START treaty: 2020-09-29 Trump asks military to assess how quickly nuclear weapons could be pulled from storage and loaded onto bombers and submarines should arms control treaty with Russia expire in February 2021
New START treaty: 2018-02-21 Trump orders probe of Russian ballistic missile
New START treaty: 2016-07-11 Obama plans major nuclear policy changes in his final months
New START treaty: 2020-09-29 Trump asks military to assess how quickly nuclear weapons could be pulled from storage and loaded onto bombers and submarines should arms control treaty with Russia expire in February 2021
New START treaty: 2018-02-21 Trump orders probe of Russian ballistic missile
New START treaty: 2016-07-11 Obama plans major nuclear policy changes in his final months