Union foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano said it was a crucial contribution to international security
The European Union welcomed the extension of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms by Russia and the US which is a major contribution to international security. Peter Stano, a spokesman for the EU foreign policy service, told TASS correspondent on Thursday.
“We welcome the US-Russia agreement to extend the START Treaty for another five years. This is a crucial contribution to international and European security. The treaty limits strategic competition and enhances strategic stability by increasing predictability and mutual trust between the two largest nuclear-weapon states”, – he said.
Stano stressed that “the US-Russian dialogue is an important step for the future of the new treaty and potential new arms control mechanisms to preserve strategic stability”.
“We recall that the two states with the largest nuclear arsenals have a special responsibility in the field of arms control and nuclear disarmament and should seek to further reduce their arsenals, including strategic and non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed nuclear weapons”, – he added.
On Tuesday, the Russian and US sides exchanged notes on the extension of the START-3 treaty. In its note, the U.S. Embassy in Russia proposed, in accordance with the provisions of the treaty, to extend its validity “for a period of five years until February 5, 2026.” The Russian Foreign Ministry, for its part, confirmed “the acceptability of this proposal for the Russian Federation.” On Wednesday, the State Duma voted unanimously to ratify the agreement, and later the Federation Council voted for it.