Russia said on Tuesday it was ready to freeze the total number of nuclear warheads if the United States extended its final arms control treaty by a year.
The
offer, two weeks before the US presidential election, appears to have narrowed
the gap between the two sides over the fate of the new START agreement, which
expires in February.
The
United States last week rejected Russia's offer to extend the deal
unconditionally for a year, saying any proposal that did not consider freezing
all nuclear heads was a "non-starter." ۔
The
Russian Foreign Ministry said that if Washington did not make any additional
demands, the warhead would be frozen’ and a one-year extension would be
possible. It said the expansion would give the two sides time to discuss in
more depth the control of nuclear weapons.
Despite
months of talks in Moscow and Washington, there have been differences over the
deal. The United States has called on China to join a comprehensive agreement
that would replace the new START. China has rejected the proposal.
Last
year, the United States banned nuclear and conventional ballistic and cruise
missiles launched on land with a range of 310 to 3,400 miles (500-5,500
kilometers), denying Russian violations by Moscow. The perpetrators withdrew
from the Cold War-era arms control treaty.
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