"Must be a priority": the UN expressed hope for the extension of START III by Russia and the United States

The UN hopes for an extension by Russia and the United States of the treaty on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms (START III).

This was stated by the official representative of the Secretary General of the organization Stephane Dujarrick.

“I don’t want to comment on certain positions that each side can take.

According to the Secretary-General (UN Antonio Guterres. - 

), the extension of START III should be a priority.

We very much hope that the parties - Russia and the United States - will agree on further steps, ”RIA Novosti quoted Duzharrik as saying.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin made a proposal to extend the current treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive arms for at least a year without any conditions.

The head of state spoke about this at a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council.

“I have a proposal, namely, to extend the current agreement without any conditions for at least a year in order to be able to conduct meaningful negotiations on all parameters of the problems that are regulated by such agreements,” Putin said.

The President pointed out the undesirability of terminating the treaty in the absence of any such substitute document.

“All previous years, the START III treaty worked, worked properly, fulfilled its fundamental role of limiting, curbing the arms race, controlling arms,” Putin said.

He drew attention to the fact that Russia has new weapons systems that the United States does not have.

At the same time, the President pointed out that this does not mean that the Russian side refuses to discuss this side of the issue.

Putin turned to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a request to convey his position to the United States.

“Please, formulate our position to our American partners and in the very near future try to get at least some intelligible answer from them,” the president said.

The Foreign Minister promised to carry out the order as soon as possible.

At the same time, during the meeting of the Security Council, Lavrov pointed out that by now all the other instruments for maintaining strategic stability "have already been destroyed, or are being proposed by the Americans for termination."

Later, the US national security adviser Robert O'Brien called the proposal to extend the treaty for a year as doomed to failure.

“We hope that Russia will reconsider its position before a costly arms race breaks out,” he added.

According to him, the United States offered an extension for a year in exchange for the fact that both countries would set limits on the number of nuclear warheads during this time.

“It would be a victory for both sides.

And we thought that the Russians were ready to accept that offer when I met with my colleague in Geneva, ”he added.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, noted that additional procedures would not be required to extend the treaty according to the option proposed by Russia.

"Congress and our Federal Assembly would have approved, voted, it would have continued to operate," he said.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky expressed the hope that the agreement would still be signed.

“I hope that prudence will prevail among the representatives of the US administration and an agreement for an extension for a year will be signed so that the world sighs in peace.

And then, after the US presidential elections, it was possible to sit down at the negotiating table, regardless of how it will affect the votes or supporters ... It will be calm, no obligations, but there will be obligations only to the international community, which is waiting for a positive result from the negotiations Russia and the United States, ”he concluded.

START III

Recall that the START III treaty was signed in 2010 by the then leaders of Russia and the United States, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama.

Under the terms of the agreement, the parties pledged to reduce the number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) ​​and heavy bombers to 700 units within seven years.

The number of warheads on deployed launchers should not exceed 1550. At the same time, the number of deployed and non-deployed launchers should not exceed 800 units.

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The document provides for the right of each participant to independently determine the composition and structure of their strategic weapons, as well as to modernize them.

The agreement expires on February 4, 2021, but it can be extended for another five years.

In mid-October, a new exchange of views took place between representatives of Moscow and the White House on the extension of START III.

Thus, the United States declared its readiness to extend the agreement with Russia, subject to a temporary freeze of the size of the nuclear arsenals of the two countries.

This was stated by the special representative of the American president for arms control Marshall Billingsley.

"We are ready for a deal, we can reach it tomorrow, but Moscow also needs to demonstrate the political will to do it," said a White House spokesman.

In Russia, the US proposal was called unacceptable.

As Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated, the issue of arms control should be considered comprehensively.

“The US position in favor of freezing has long been known to us, it is unacceptable to us.

Not because we are against freezing, but because it is necessary to deal with the problems of strategic stability in a complex, ”the Deputy Minister said.

He explained that the complex means a discussion of the status of space weapons, missile defense, as well as new American strategic-range carriers in conventional equipment.

The deputy foreign minister added that Moscow does not intend to provide Washington with an agreement "timed" for the presidential vote in the United States.

Commenting on the situation around the treaty, Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, pointed to the corresponding position of Russia.

“Russia is very responsible in this matter.

And the Russian leadership is doing everything to preserve these treaties, and, thus, to give hope, to give a certain chance that the methods of limiting nuclear weapons are preserved at least in some capacity, "the senator said in an interview with RT ...

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, noted that Moscow is flexible in the situation with the extension of START III.

“We see the flexibility of the Kremlin.

President Putin proposes to extend the agreement for at least a year, because the term is already running out ... The main goal of Russia is to maintain global strategic stability, ”the expert stressed.