Russia to find appropriate options if New START is not extended - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Moscow will find appropriate response options if the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is not extended, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a press conference on Thursday. "In his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly, the Russian president clarified some aspects of the important practical work that is done by our defense industry, Defense Ministry and other agencies. This is part of our response to the earlier steps to undermine strategic stability," he said. "I am sure that even in the worst-case scenario, we will find ways to give responses that will be effective from military and financial standpoints," Ryabkov added. New START The New START treaty, which came into force in 2011, gives the parties seven years to reduce their weapons. The document limits each side to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. The Treaty is set to remain in effect for ten years unless a new document is signed to replace it. The Treaty can also be extended for no more than five years (that is, until 2026) by mutual agreement of the parties. Read more