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U.S. extends New START nuclear treaty
Why is it in news?
- S. President Joe Biden’s administration extended the New START nuclear treaty with Russia by five years.
Details:
- While signing the treaty Joe Biden said it hoped to prevent an arms race despite rising tensions with Moscow.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on legislation extending the treaty cuple of days before.
- The treaty, signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010, will now run until February 5, 2026.
New START treaty:
- The New START treaty which came into force in 2011 was about to lapse in February 2021.
- The present treaty is successor to the START framework of 1991.
- It cuts long-range U.S. and Russian nuclear arms, and provides for on-site inspections by the two sides.
- Its end would further unravel the arms control framework that has governed the nuclear competition between the U.S. and Russia.