JRL NEWSWATCH: “Trump, Putin May Agree to Resume Stalled Arms Control Talks” – Reuters

July 12, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… When [Trump and Putin] meet in Helsinki … they are likely to touch on whether to extend the “New START” agreement to 2026 and what to do about … the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) …. Historically, arms control has been an area where Washington and Moscow have been able to talk to one another even when their broader relationship has been in tatters. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman told reporters Trump and Putin will likely discuss INF and New Start but would not be drawn on whether they might strike any deals. … New Start, signed in 2010, requires both nations to cut their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550, the lowest level in decades. … The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, required both sides to eliminate their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (310 and 3,420 miles). …”