The replacement of the START Treaty, which will expire soon, with a new one will be the main topic for discussion between Russia and the United States, John Beyrly, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, has said in an interview with the Moskovsky Komsomolets, published on Saturday, February 14, 2009.
According to Beyrly, the two countries are going to work in two directions. First, they will work to achieve a further reduction of nuclear arsenals of the two countries. Second, they should make sure that measures for monitoring the fulfilment of commitments under the Treaty are reliable, that they reflect new realities and the present condition of nuclear arsenals of the two countries, and that they ensure the needed level of mutual control.
The Ambassador believes it is too early to speak on the present stage about the minimal level to which the nuclear arsenals should be reduced. The Western mass media wrote recently that Russia and the United States would reach agreement soon on the reduction of the nuclear warheads to 1,000 in each of the two countries, but, according to Bayerly, the figure mentioned in the press does not reflect the official U.S. stand. He said the U.S. would work for nuclear arms reduction, but the issue should be discussed in detail with Russia.
