Moscow expects new US administration to make up its mind on New START treaty

ZAGREB, December 16. /TASS/. Russia expects the new US administration to make up their mind regarding arms control, especially regarding the future of the New START treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference Wednesday. "I cannot even contemplate or speculate on this right now, because nothing depends on us anymore. The treaty could or could not be extended. The conditions that the Americans have been decorating their position in this regard recently meant not an extension of the existing treaty but a development of a new one," he said. "And they must make up their mind. So we wait until the new administration decides on its approach and then we will decide on our own." Moscow repeatedly called on Washington not to delay the decision on the treaty’s extension, calling the treaty a golden standard in disarmament. On October 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to extend the New START for at least one year without preconditions. The Trump administration previously proposed to increase the number of signatories, inviting China, but Beijing rejected this idea. The US President-Elect Joe Biden spoke in favor of prolongation of the current treaty. Read more