A deal has been cracked between Russia and the United States to extend the New START nuclear arms control treaty, according to the statement given by the Kremlin on January 26, 2021.
The US did not confirm the deal but said President Joe Biden had discussed it over the phone with his Russian counterpart. The White House also said that US President Joe Biden had agreed to work urgently to complete the extension process by February 5.
“They discussed both countries’ willingness to extend New START for five years, agreeing to have their teams work urgently to complete the extension by Feb. 5,” the White House said.
“They also agreed to explore strategic stability discussions on a range of arms control and emerging security issues,” it added.
“President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” the White House statement said.
