The United States is willing to respect the limits of the new START nonproliferation agreement with Moscow on the number of nuclear warheads “as long as Russia does the same,” a White House adviser said.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to the US presidency, said that despite tensions, the US government is willing to discuss nuclear nonproliferation “without preconditions” with Russia and China, though he stressed that Beijing has “shown no willingness” to do so. doing. to date.
Sullivan stressed that the administration led by President Joe Biden “stands ready” to talk with Russia about a future nuclear arms control framework without preconditions, even as it moves in response to the Kremlin’s decision to suspend the latest nuclear arms control treaty. two countries.
In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would suspend Russia’s cooperation with the provisions of the New START treaty regarding nuclear warhead and missile inspections, as tensions escalated following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia then assured that it would respect the limits of the treaty on nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Arms Control Association, Sullivan said the United States of America (US) is determined to join the treaty if Russia does too, and that Washington wants to open a dialogue on a new nuclear risk framework . management when the treaty expires in February 2026.
“It is not in the interest of any of our countries to open up competition in strategic nuclear forces. And instead of waiting to resolve all our bilateral differences, the US is ready to engage Russia now in managing nuclear risks and developing a post-war agreement.” -2026″Sullivan said.
The United States, the adviser continued, is willing to maintain nuclear warhead limits until the end of the treaty, but admits defining details about a post-2026 framework will be “complicated” due to tension between the United States and the United States. States and Russia. and China’s growing nuclear power.
China currently has about 410 nuclear warheads, according to an annual survey by the Federation of American Scientists.
In November, the Pentagon (US Department of Defense) estimated that the number of nuclear warheads in China could increase to 1,000 by the end of the decade and 1,500 by 2035.
The size of China’s arsenal and whether or not Beijing is willing to engage in substantive dialogue “will affect the future strength” of the United States and Washington’s ability to strike a deal with the Russians, sources within the Biden administration said. Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Relations between the United States and China have been strained by the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon this year after it crossed the mainland United States.
On the other hand, there are also tensions over the status of the autonomous island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, and over US export controls aimed, among other things, at curtailing China’s advanced semiconductor equipment.
“Simply put, we have yet to see China’s willingness to separate strategic stability from broader relationship concerns.”Sullivan said.
The White House’s push on Moscow over nuclear weapons control comes a day after the Biden administration announced new measures in response to Russia’s suspension of participation in the treaty.
The US State Department said it would stop notifying Russia of updates on the status or location of “treaty subject items” such as missiles and launchers.
On the other hand, he added that he would revoke US visas issued to Russian treaty inspectors and aircrew members and stop providing telemetry information on the launch tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Earlier this year, the United States and Russia stopped sharing the six-monthly data on nuclear weapons required by the treaty.
The treaty, which then-Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed in 2010, limits each country to a maximum of 1,550 warheads and 700 missiles and bombers, and provides for on-site inspections to verify compliance.
Inspections have been inactive since 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Discussions about the restart were supposed to have taken place in November 2022, but Russia abruptly called it off, citing US support for Ukraine.
Source: DN
