The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, signed by the United States and Russia in 1991 will expire tomorrow, December 5. This treaty, crucial for the reduction of both countries’ arsenals will expire before the signature of a following treaty.

After months of negotiations, the START successor will not be ready for signature before the expiration date. However, this does not mean it will not happen in a near future. As it was reported by the New York Times, both delegations are working against the clock with the goal of signing it during the following weeks.

The ideal moment for the signature would be Obama’s visit to Europe, when the U. S. President will receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The ceremony will take place on December 10 but the treaty it’s most likely to be signed in mid-December.

As it was negotiated in last July’s Obama-Medvedev summit, last July, each part will reduce and limit its strategic offensive arms in such a way that in seven years after the treaty enters into force the total number of operative strategic delivery systems will be between 500-1100 units and their associated nuclear warheads will be about 1500-1675 units.

It is unavoidable analyze what the signature of Follow On treaty would mean to global security. The context of the negotiation is not the same as it was in the end of the Cold War, the reduction of arsenals is crucial for international security because of the risk produced by non state actors.

As it was stated by expert Alexei Arbatov “It is not a tragedy that the new treaty is not signed by December 5. The tragedy, or a hard blow, to put it mildly, would be if the new treaty is not signed by May next year". The signature of this treaty would be an advance towards a world free of nuclear weapons and it would support the commitments acquired by the nations with last September’s United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 1887. This resolution calls upon the nations “to undertake to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear arms reduction and disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control”.

In this sense we are pleased to see both powers working together to take this process to a successful result, as declared in the today’s US- Russia joint statement.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

December 04, 2009

Joint Statement by the President of the United States of America and the President of the Russian Federation on the Expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)

Recognizing our mutual determination to support strategic stability between the United States of America and the Russian Federation, we express our commitment, as a matter of principle, to continue to work together in the spirit of the START Treaty following its expiration, as well as our firm intention to ensure that a new treaty on strategic arms enter into force at the earliest possible date.

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