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The new government of President Joe Biden will contact Moscow on Thursday with a view to extending the New Start nuclear deal, which expires shortly. The change of course is one of several affecting the relationship between the United States and Sweden.
A Russian medium-range robot takes off somewhere in Russia.
– This is something that the Swedish government has asked the United States. Without it (the agreement), there are no restrictions on US or Russian nuclear weapons, Pam Tremont, charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Sweden, tells TT.
According to Tremont, the United States will brief members of the NATO Alliance on the initiative on Thursday.
The Biden government wants a five-year extension of the agreement that regulates the disarmament of the two countries and provides information on nuclear arsenals. The agreement expires on February 5. Former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin negotiated last year without success to extend it.
Pam Tremont describes the New Start Agreement as very important to national security, both for the United States and for its allies. This especially applies to Sweden due to its geographical location.
– We look with wide eyes at the challenge posed by Russia. The deadline is soon, so we must start negotiating immediately.
The initiative is taken when Democrat Joe Biden has been president for less than a day. Pam Tremont says she is off to a good start and is already submitting several major policy changes to the State Department.
In addition to the New Start Agreement, it emphasizes re-entry to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and a return to the World Health Organization WHO as important to Sweden.
The documents on the Paris Agreement were presented to the UN shortly after Biden was sworn in. According to Tremont, the United States will again be a formal contracting party in 30 days.
– We played a crucial role in achieving the climate agreement, now President Biden wants to show global leadership in fighting this massive challenge, he says.
– This is also something that the Swedish government has urged us to do.
As for the WHO, on his first day in the White House, Biden sent letters to both the UN Secretary-General and the head of the WHO, withdrawing his representative’s declaration of intention to leave the organization, something that would otherwise it would have come true in July. In a few days, the United States will begin participating in WHO meetings and the goal is to strengthen and reform the organization so that it can tackle the fight against covid-19, according to Tremont.
– Global health is a high priority for the new government. It also includes health care for women and girls, which I know is important for Sweden.
TT: How do you think the change of president will affect the relationship between the United States and Sweden?
– He will always be strong, no matter who lives in the White House. But these changes open up new opportunities for collaboration.
New Start Agreement
The New Start disarmament agreement was signed between the United States and Russia in 2010. It states that:
1,550 nuclear warheads can be found on both sides, roughly 30 percent less than in the 2002 Moscow Treaty and 74 percent less than in the 1991 Commissioning Treaty.
The number of nuclear weapon launch pads deployed or undeployed on land or aboard submarines, together with the number of heavy duty nuclear bombers, cannot exceed 800. A maximum of 700 can be deployed.
The new Start agreement expires on February 5. Negotiations have been underway to extend it, one hurdle being former President Donald Trump’s previous demands for China’s involvement. The United States has also demanded that Russia freeze its nuclear arsenal.
