U.S. extends New START nuclear treaty with Russia

• Be N By IAS, Delhi
• 03, Feb 2021

For : GS-2: International Relations

CONTEXT:

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday extended the New START nuclear treaty with Russia by five years, saying it hoped to prevent an arms race despite rising tensions with Moscow.

NEWS IN DETAILS:

• One day before the treaty was set to expire, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was extending New START by the maximum allowed time of five years.
• President Biden pledged to keep the American people safe from nuclear threats by restoring U.S. leadership on
  • Arms control and
  • Non-proliferation.

Effective arms control: “The United States is committed to effective arms control that enhances stability, transparency and predictability while reducing the risks of costly, dangerous arms races.”

Putin Signs: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on legislation extending the accord on Friday, meaning that the treaty — signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010 — will run until February 5, 2026.

Ceiling to N-Warheads: The last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals, New START caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed by Moscow and Washington.

CHINA’S ARSENAL:

• Former President Donald Trump’s administration tore up previous agreements with Moscow and unsuccessfully sought to expand New START to cover China.
• Mr. Blinken said the U.S. would use the coming five years to pursue diplomacy that addresses “all” of Russia’s nuclear weapons and to “reduce the dangers from China’s modern and growing nuclear arsenal”.

New Start Nuclear Treaty:

• It is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russia.
• It entered into force on in 2011.
• It is a successor to the START framework of 1991.
• It was signed in 2010 by former US President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
• It was set to expire on February 5 , 2021, as the Trump administration had refused to approve the extension.
• It is the last remaining arms control treaty between the two nations.

Source: The Hindu

MCQs:

Q. New Start Nuclear Treaty is a nuclear arms reduction treaty. Which of the following countries are part of the treaty?

1. America
2. China
3. Russia
4. France
5. India

Select the correct answer from the code given below.

• a) 1,2 and 3 only
• b) 3 and 5 only
• c) 2, 4 and 5 only
• d) 1 and 3 only

ANS: D