The Diplomat
The Spanish government yesterday expressed its “satisfaction” with the decision by the United States and Russia to extend the New START Treaty for the reduction and limitation of nuclear weapons for a period of five years.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the announcement was “an important contribution to security in Europe and the world” and “marks a change of trend after the recent deterioration of the international non-proliferation and nuclear arms control regime”.
“This extension opens a window of opportunity for the United States, Russia and other relevant actors to conduct negotiations in order to establish a new, more robust regime, covering all weapons and delivery systems, and taking into account the new technological and geopolitical realities”, continued the department headed by Arancha González Laya. “Spain will continue to contribute to progress in this regard, in close collaboration with its partners and allies, and in the framework of the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament”, the statement concluded.
The New START (or START III) Treaty was signed in 2010 in Prague by then presidents Barack Obama (USA) and Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) and is due to expire on 5 February. The previous US president, Donald Trump, opposed its renewal, but the new US president, Joe Biden, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held a telephone conversation last Tuesday in which they agreed to extend it for a period of five years.
