Including China in strategic security negotiations is not only in the interests of the United States, but also in the interests of Russia, John Sullivan believes.
The Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START I, unofficial name – START III) should be made more relevant to current realities, and the summit of the leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council will help to move in this direction. This was stated by U.S. Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper published on Sunday.
According to him, there is still time for negotiations on START-3. “The START agreement should be made more consistent with today’s strategic reality. [US] President [Donald] Trump would like to upgrade the START treaty,” he said. – In our view, the upcoming summit of the P5 and preparations for it could allow us to move toward our goal. And it is to make sure that START meets the requirements of the 2020s, the new strategic environment in which China is building its nuclear capabilities.
According to the diplomat, China’s inclusion in strategic security negotiations is in the interests not only of the United States, but also of Russia.
“In my opinion, the inclusion of Britain and France in this process is less appropriate”, – he added.
On January 23, speaking at the World Holocaust Memorial Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to convene a summit of the “five” permanent members of the UN Security Council in 2020 (Russia, UK, China, USA, France). The initiative was supported by China, France and the UN leadership.
The START Treaty was signed by Moscow and Washington in 2010. According to its terms, each of the parties reduces its START in such a way that seven years after the entry into force of the document and thereafter their aggregate numbers do not exceed 700 for deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers (TBs), 1,550 for warheads on them, 800 for deployed and non-deployed ICBMs, SLBMs and TBs.
The treaty remains in force for 10 years (until 5 February 2021), unless replaced by a subsequent agreement before that date. It may also be extended for a maximum of five years (i.e., until 2026) by mutual agreement. Moscow calls on Washington not to delay the possibility of extending the treaty and characterizes it as the gold standard in the field of disarmament.