The Kremlin said on Monday that arms control talks between the US and Russia should have begun “yesterday,” as no nuclear arms control treaties remain in effect between the two powers after New START expired earlier this year.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the negotiations on a potential replacement for New START should have begun already, since it would be a very meticulous process.
“This is such a complex matter that it requires very lengthy, meticulous, and expert-level negotiations. Therefore, in any case, it will be a process that takes a long time,” he said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
The New START capped the number of nuclear warheads either side can deploy at 1,550 and also limited the deployment of delivery systems. Before the treaty expired, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to extend the limits for one year while the two sides negotiated a replacement, but Moscow said Washington never responded.
US officials have also denied reports of an informal agreement to continue observing the treaty’s limits, but so far there’s been no sign that either the US or Russia has deployed extra warheads or launchers since it expired.
The US has called for any replacement treaty to also include China, but Beijing has repeatedly rejected the idea since its nuclear arsenal is significantly smaller than the US or Russia’s. In response to the US calls, Moscow has said that the treaty should also include the UK and France.
