The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday unanimously approved a bill to reduce Russia’s foreign debt in exchange for cooperation on nonproliferation efforts (see GSN, Nov. 8), according to Agence France-Presse.

The bill would have the United States pay the costs of some Russian nonproliferation programs by forgiving an equal amount from Russia’s estimated $3.7 billion debt.  The bill “gives the president an additional tool” in reducing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden (D-Del.).

Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) included a provision that linked any debt forgiveness to Russian guarantees to not supply arms to rogue states such as Iran, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 14). 

Russia’s arms sales to Iran (see GSN, Nov. 8) result from the need for hard currency to pay its debt, Biden said.  He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told congressional leaders that any weapons of mass destruction acquired by Russia’s neighbors are more likely to strike Russia than the United States.

The Senate bill would be in addition to the nearly $1 billion a year the United States spends on Russian nonproliferation efforts (Carolyn Skorneck, Associated Press, Nov. 14).

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