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US keen to forge new nuclear arms control treaty keeping Russia limits

With the last US-Russia arms control treaty New START largely moribund and due to expire in 2026, Washington seeks to coax Moscow and Beijing into arms control talks.

AP

Russia suspended participation in New START, a Cold War-era treaty which limits warheads and allows verification by both sides. / Photo: AP

United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has offered to maintain current nuclear warhead limits with Russia, while making the case for putting rising power China at the centre of future arms control efforts.

Speaking at the annual Arms Control Association meeting on Friday, Sullivan also said the US would abide by the nuclear weapons limits set in the New START treaty until its 2026 expiration if Russia does the same.

"The United States does not need to increase our nuclear forces to outnumber the combined total of our competitors in order to successfully deter them," Sullivan said.

He also called on Moscow to start new talks for a post-2026 framework, saying "rather than waiting to resolve all of our bilateral differences, the United States is ready to engage Russia now to manage nuclear risks."

In the meantime, however, Washington wants the world's two leading nuclear powers to preserve the core of the New START treaty: A limit for each of 1,550 warheads.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in February said Moscow was suspending participation in New START, the last remaining pact limiting US and Russian strategic nuclear arms.

The State Department said on Thursday that it has made reciprocal "countermeasures" by suspending various aspects of the treaty, including on-site inspections and exchange of data.

Putin delivers nuclear warning to West over Ukraine, suspends START pact

Ready to engage China

Unlike during the Cold War, when there were only two global nuclear powers, the future of arms control will revolve around China's rapidly expanding arsenal and global presence, Sullivan said.

"By 2035, (China) is on track to have as many as 1,500 nuclear warheads, one of the largest peacetime nuclear buildups in history," Sullivan said, meaning that "the United States will need to deter two near-peer nuclear powers for the first time in its history."

"We're also ready to engage China without preconditions," he said.

With relations at rock bottom with President Vladimir Putin's Russia and currently at a near standstill with China, a difficult path lies ahead.

China "has thus far opted not to come to the table for substantive dialogue on arms control. It has declined to share the size and scope of its nuclear forces or to provide launch notifications. And it has not shown much interest in discussions regarding the changes to its nuclear forces," Sullivan said.

While offering to rebuild arms control treaties, Sullivan stressed that the United States will simultaneously improve its nuclear forces.

"Responsibly enhancing our deterrent capabilities allows us to negotiate arms control from a position of strength," he said.