Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin discuss arms control and Ukraine in initial call
27 January, 2021
Russia and America have struck a good deal to increase the New Start off nuclear arms control treaty, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The move preserves the last main pact of its kind between your world’s two biggest nuclear powers.
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the problem by telephone and agreed that their teams function urgently to complete the extension by February 5, when the treaty expires, the White House said.
Signed this year 2010, the New Start (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) can be a cornerstone of global hands control.
It limits the quantity of strategic nuclear warheads deployed by the US and Russia to at least one 1,550 each in addition to the quantity of land and submarine-based missiles and bombers that deliver them.
The Kremlin declared the breakthrough, that was widely anticipated, in a statement saying Mr Putin and Mr Biden had spoken for the very first time since Mr Biden took office on January 20.
Moscow and Washington didn't agree a great extension under former US President Donald Trump, whose administration wished to attach conditions to a good renewal which Moscow rejected.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin and Mr Biden “expressed satisfaction” that diplomatic notes between the two nations have been exchanged confirming the pact will be extended and that procedures necessary for it to come into force before it expires will be completed in the coming days.
The White House, in its description of the call, did not say an agreement have been reached or that diplomatic notes have been exchanged, though its tone was upbeat.
“They discussed both countries’ willingness to extend New Start for five years, agreeing to have their teams work urgently to complete the extension by February 5,” the White House said. “In addition they agreed to explore strategic stability discussions on a range of arms control and emerging security issues.”
A US official, who spoke on state of anonymity, said the program was for the exchange of notes that occurs on Tuesday.
Asked why Washington hadn't explicitly said an arrangement had been reached, another US official, also on state of anonymity, said a lot of steps were needed, incorporating approval by the Duma, Russia’s lower property of parliament. The treaty itself will not require legislative approval for an extension.
The White House said the other day that Mr Biden would seek a five-year extension.
In its statement, the Kremlin said Mr Putin had told Mr Biden a normalisation of relations between Moscow and Washington will be in equally countries’ interests.
It said both leaders had also discussed the US decision during Mr Trump’s administration to exit the Start Skies treaty. Mr Putin and Mr Biden also talked about Iran’s nuclear programme and the conflict in Ukraine.
The White House stressed it could raise matters where it disagrees with Russia, and said Mr Biden had reaffirmed Washington’s “firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty”.
Mr Biden had raised “additional matters of concern”, like the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the cyber hack blamed on Russia that used US tech company SolarWinds Corp as a good springboard to penetrate authorities networks, and reports that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.
“President Biden clarified that america will act firmly in defence of its countrywide interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” the White House statement said.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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