Sat 29 May 2021:
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the agreement to hold the Russia-US summit in Geneva and hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, will begin a dialogue on reviving the arms control regime, including through a new treaty to replace the New START, Guterres’ spokesperson told Sputnik on Saturday.
Putin and Biden are expected to hold a personal meeting in Geneva on June 16.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement that President Putin and President Biden will meet in Geneva next month, and hopes that they will engage in a constructive dialogue on how to revitalize disarmament and arms control, including through a new agreement to replace the New START,” the spokesperson said.
New START is the only arms control agreement between the two countries that is still in force. The treaty in force since 2011 entails that each side ultimately reduces their nuclear arsenal to a total of 700 missiles, 800 launchers, and 1,550 deployed warheads.
In February, Moscow and Washington agreed to extend the agreement for five more years without any renegotiation of its terms. The treaty is now set to expire on February 5, 2026.
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