US President Joe Biden has called on Russia and China to start nuclear arms control talkssaying that Moscow in particular has an obligation to show responsibility after its invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP.
In a statement, the US leader reiterated that his administration is ready to “expeditiously negotiate” a replacement for the START treaty limiting the intercontinental nuclear forces of the United States and Russia, which is due to expire in 2026.
“Russia must demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control” Biden said. “But negotiations require a willing partner working in good faith. And Russia’s brutal and unprovoked aggression in Ukraine has shattered the peace in Europe and is an attack on the basic principles of the international order.
Turning to Chinawhich is strengthening its much smaller nuclear arsenal, Biden said the communist state had an obligation as a permanent member of the UN Security Council “to engage in negotiations that will reduce the risk of ‘accidental mistakes’ and address the destabilizing military dynamics”.
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“It does no good for any of our nations or the world to resist a substantive commitment to arms control and nuclear nonproliferation,” Biden said.
He stated that nuclear superpowers Russia and the United States in particular are responsible for setting the tone by ensuring the viability of the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons technology around the world.
“The viability of the NPT has always rested on meaningful reciprocal arms limitations between the United States and the Russian Federation. Even at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were able to work together to uphold our shared responsibility for providing strategic stability” Biden said.
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“The world can be assured that my administration will continue to support the NPT and seek to strengthen the non-proliferation architecture that protects people everywhere.”
Source from the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed dismay on Monday at US President Joe Biden’s proposal to negotiate a new nuclear arms control framework to replace the START treaty when it expires in 2026.
“Is this a serious statement or has the White House website been hacked?” a Russian Foreign Ministry source told Reuters. “If this is indeed a serious intention, who exactly do they intend to discuss it with?”
