MOSCOW (Reuters) – Time is running out to negotiate a new nuclear arms reduction pact between the United States and Russia to replace the New START treaty which expires in 2026, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The New START treaty, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads held by each country to 1,550, is the last major disarmament agreement in force between the two nuclear superpowers.
It has been extended until February 4, 2026.
“Moscow has repeatedly spoken about the need to start these negotiations as soon as possible, because there is little time left,” the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.
“If the treaty ceases to exist without being replaced by something solid, it will have an extremely negative impact on the security and stability of the world,” added Dmitry Peskov.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that his administration was ready to “quickly” negotiate a new framework agreement to replace New START, but that Russia would have to demonstrate that it was ready to get back to work.
(Reuters report, French version Augustin Turpin, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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