US Senator Edward Markey called for the extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3) with Russia without China. He presented the draft resolution to Congress. This was announced on Wednesday, August 12, RT reports.
In the document, Markey points out that China has significantly fewer ICBMs, submarine ballistic missiles and heavy bombers than Russia and the United States.
In addition, the senator points out that Beijing has repeatedly rejected Washington’s offer to enter into trilateral negotiations on an arms control agreement.
According to Mark, START-3 should be extended as soon as possible, and only then continue the dialogue with China. The draft resolution states that negotiations can begin “with the adoption of measures to reduce the risk of strategic errors and the threat of an exchange of nuclear strikes.”
If the treaty is not renewed, then, according to the senator, the process of modernizing Russia’s nuclear weapons will allow it to significantly expand its nuclear arsenal compared to the United States. At the same time, he offers to put forward his demands to Russia.
“The Senate calls on the Russian Federation to stop developing new dangerous and provocative weapons systems, including the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, which potentially violates the prohibition on causing excessive damage and unjustified suffering contained in many treaties and military manuals,” the text of the project says. …
On August 11, US President Donald Trump in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt said that the biggest international problem is the situation around nuclear disarmament talks with Russia.
On July 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that recently the risks of a nuclear confrontation have seriously increased. Russia has repeatedly noted that in a nuclear collision there can be no winners. On the same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also noted that some of the mistakes made by the American side are irreversible. For example, it is now impossible to return to the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) after the US withdraws from it.
In addition, the deputy minister pointed out the increasing frequency of the US’s refusals to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and stressed that Russia is ready to respond to any US attempts to gain military advantage for itself.
On June 22, negotiations were held in Vienna to extend the START Treaty. They were closed to the press. The US President’s special envoy for arms control Marshall Billingsley said he was pleased with the results of this meeting.
Later, the US State Department announced that it was ready to extend the START Treaty, but on certain conditions, including the absence of a moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the involvement of China in this agreement.
In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that they are ready for this decision by the United States. The ministry also noted that Russia considers the START Treaty to be a mutually beneficial agreement, since this treaty ensures substantial international security and stability.
START Treaty was signed by Moscow and Washington in 2010. It remains the only arms limitation treaty in force between Russia and the United States and expires in February 2021.