Germany calls on Russia to return to New START nuclear treaty

BERLIN (AA) – Germany on Monday called on Russia to return to the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US.

Addressing the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock underlined that the agreement is the last remaining treaty of nuclear arms control between the US and Russia.

“New Start is a bilateral treaty, but it is also a guarantor of global stability and security for every state on this planet,” she said, and called on Russia to resume dialogue with the US on this matter.

“Russia has to honor what it proclaimed together with the other P5 countries in January 2022: that a nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought,” she said.

“So let us jointly urge President Putin to return to New START and resume dialogue on the treaty with the United States. I strongly believe this is in the interest of all of us across the world,” she added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow was suspending the New START treaty with the US over its increasing involvement in the Ukraine war.

Signed in 2010 and extended in 2021 for another five years, the New START treaty aims to control and reduce strategic nuclear forces used by the US and Russia.

The treaty limits the number of deployed missiles and bombers to 700, deployed warheads, including multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles and bombers, to 1,550, and deployed and non-deployed launchers – missile tubes and bombers – to 800.

Under the treaty, the sides may request information about up to five launches of missiles per year, should exchange information on the number of warheads and carriers twice a year – in March and September – and have the right to carry out up to 18 inspections per year.