A group of ten Republican senators introduced a bill in the United States Congress addressing the nation’s withdrawal from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, commonly known as START or START III, with ongoing discussions centered in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Tom Cotton, among the bill’s sponsors, argued that President Joe Biden should not extend this agreement, contending that it strengthens Russia and China at the expense of American security. The Republicans advocate for Washington to exit START and to bolster the United States nuclear forces instead.
The bill’s authors contend that Russia has violated the treaty terms and they press for any future arms control agreements with Moscow to also place limits on China’s nuclear arsenal.
Toward the end of April, the United States Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, stated that U.S. officials remained committed to the implementation of the treaty, with ongoing oversight of START III relations with Russia.
Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, stated that Moscow no longer sees a practical channel of contact with Washington over the treaty on strategic weapons reduction.
Earlier in the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation suspending Russia’s participation in START, signaling a significant shift in bilateral arms control dynamics.