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A In what the Kremlin calls a meritorious and open conversation Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden expressed their satisfaction that Russia and the United States exchanged documents on Tuesday necessary to extend the Russian-American New START (START-3) treaty, which expires on February 5, on the reduction of military offensive nuclear weapons. .
The treaty, signed in 2010 by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits the number of nuclear warheads deployed by the two countries to 1,550 and the number of missiles and bombers deployed to 700.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden also discussed cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as well as in the economy and trade.
“International affairs included the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Open Skies Treaty, the issue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program and the Russian initiative for a summit of permanent members of the UN Security Council.” the Kremlin stressed.
What does the White House say?
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed their country’s readiness to extend the New START (START-3) treaty to reduce military nuclear weapons, the White House said Tuesday.
The two presidents agreed that The negotiating team of the two countries is beginning to work urgently to bring the extension under the roof before the contract expires on February 5. The United States and Russia exchanged diplomatic notes earlier on the day they had agreed to extend the treaty.
They also agreed to explore the possibility of discussions on strategic stability in arms control and emerging security issues.
The two presidents contacted each other for the first time since Biden’s inauguration. The Kremlin said the two presidents were pleased with the exchange of notes on the New START treaty. Putin sent the treaty extension to the lower house of the Russian parliament for ratification on Tuesday. The document, which will run until February 5, 2026, has been published in the database of the State Duma.
According to a presidential statement from Washington, in addition to the arms reduction issue, Biden reaffirmed the United States’ strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said, “in light of the Russian aggression. in progress”. He also raised other concerns under the statement, including the attack by the hacker SolarWinds against the US government and other targets, the blood charge paid by Russia for US soldiers in Afghanistan, interference in the US presidential election. 2020 and the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. .
Biden made clear that the United States will take strong measures to protect its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm him or his allies. The two presidents agreed to maintain transparent communication.
Putin said the Kremlin greeted Bident at his inauguration. He noted that normalizing relations between Russia and the United States would be in the interest of both countries and, given their particular responsibility to maintain security and stability, of the international community as a whole.
According to information provided by Moscow, the parties also discussed certain issues of bilateral and international relations, examined the possibilities of cooperation in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic and in trade and the economy. The Russian presidential press service described the dialogue as practical and honest.
Cover Image: Alexei Nikolsky TASS via Getty Images
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