Global Security Newswire

Russia and the United States have sought to alleviate concerns about possible consequences if the sides fail to agree on a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ahead of the 1991 pact's expiration on Dec. 5, Russia Today reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 16).

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed in July to cut their nations' respective deployed strategic nuclear arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 warheads, down from the 2,200-weapon limit the states are required to meet by 2012 under another treaty. The leaders also pledged to restrict strategic delivery vehicles on each side to between 500 and 1,100.

Negotiations have reportedly been complicated by differences on several issues, including Moscow's desire to curb U.S. monitoring of Russian mobile ICBMs and to count conventionally armed strategic missiles under the limits of the new agreement.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle reaffirmed an earlier assurance by Washington that the powers would prepare an interim agreement to serve as a bridge until the START successor is in place.

“The two presidents have firmly agreed to make every effort at the ... talks to sign a new treaty before the old one expires, which will happen on Dec. 5. Of course it will take some time to ratify the treaty but I think it's all right,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added (Russia Today, Nov. 17).

"If you believe the leaks that have been coming out over the past couple of days, the issue is now about disagreements over the systems and processes of how things are checked. For its part, the Russian side is opposed to the proposals that the Americans have put forward," Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

"Nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on," Lukyanov added (Andrew Tully, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Nov. 17).