WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden called Monday on Russia and China to enter nuclear arms control talks, saying that Moscow in particular has a duty to show responsibility after its invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, the US leader reiterated that his administration is ready to “expeditiously negotiate” a replacement to New START, the treaty capping intercontinental nuclear forces in the United States and Russia, which is set to expire in 2026.
“Russia should demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control,” Biden said.
“But negotiation requires a willing partner operating in good faith. And Russia’s brutal and unprovoked aggression in Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe and constitutes an attack on fundamental tenets of international order.”
Turning to China, which has been bolstering its much smaller nuclear arsenal, Biden said the communist state has a duty as a permanent member of the UN Security Council “to engage in talks that will reduce the risk of miscalculation and address destabilizing military dynamics.”
“There is no benefit to any of our nations, or for the world, to resist substantive engagement on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation,” Biden said.
Biden said nuclear superpowers Russia and the United States in particular have a responsibility to set the tone, ensuring the viability of the landmark nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons technology worldwide.
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