Moscow-Sana
Russia has declared its readiness to commit with the United States to a joint freeze of nuclear warheads owned by both sides.
"Russia proposes to extend the START treaty for one year ... and at the same time it is ready with the United States to commit to freezing the number of nuclear warheads owned by the two parties for this period," Sputnik news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement today.
The statement stated that this position could be implemented "strictly and exclusively on the basis that the freezing of warheads will not be accompanied by any additional requirements from the United States."
The statement pointed out that "if this approach suits Washington, the time gained as a result of the extension of the START treaty can be used to conduct comprehensive bilateral negotiations on future monitoring of nuclear missiles, taking into account all the factors that affect strategic stability," noting that the Russian side has not received an official response from the states. The United Nations submitted to the memorandum dated October 16, which formulated a proposal to extend the agreement for a year.
And Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed last Friday to extend the current Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty for a year without any conditions.
It is noteworthy that the START 3 Treaty is an extension of the Treaty on Limiting Strategic Offensive Weapons START I signed in June 1991 in Moscow.
Russia and the United States signed the START 3 treaty in Prague in April 2010 to replace START I, which expired in December 2009.