Biden & Putin Agree To Extend New START Treaty For 5 Years

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday to extend the New START nuclear nonproliferation treaty, which is due to expire in a month.

“They discussed both countries’ willingness to extend New START for five years, agreeing to have their teams work urgently to complete the extension by February 5,” the White House said in an official readout of the conversation.

The Kremlin also put out a statement about the agreement. “In the coming days, the parties will complete all necessary procedure to ensure the further functioning of this important international legal mechanism for the mutual limitation of nuclear missile arsenals,” the statement read.

The New START, or the “New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,” will limit the deployed nuclear weapons by the U.S. and Russia to 1,550 each. The agreement was originally signed in 2010, entered force on February 5, 2011 and was set to expire in 10 years.

According to the Kremlin, Putin used his first call with Biden to urge improved ties between the two nations.

“He noted that the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States would meet the interests of both countries and, taking into account their special responsibility for maintaining security and stability in the world, of the entire international community,” the Kremlin said.

The president’s also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open Skies treaty and the Iran nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the conflict in Ukraine and Putin’s call for a summit meeting of permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Biden went on to confront Putin on the issues of election interference and the jailing of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, according to the White House.