New START
On the 8th of April 2010, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met in Prague to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty. The document carried the formal name Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. This event marked the culmination of months of diplomatic work between Washington and Moscow. Previous attempts at similar agreements had failed or expired without replacement. The START I treaty had ended in December 2009 while the proposed START II never entered into force. Negotiations for New START began immediately after leaders met in London during April 2009. Rose Gottemoeller led the American delegation through multiple rounds of talks held across Europe. Anatoly Antonov directed the Russian side from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their discussions covered everything from missile silos to bomber fleets. By July 2009 both sides agreed on text outlining intentions to reduce warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 units. They also aimed to limit delivery weapons to somewhere between 500 and 1,100 systems.
The treaty established strict numerical caps on deployed strategic nuclear assets for each nation. Each party could hold no more than 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. This figure represented nearly two-thirds fewer warheads compared to the original START treaty limits. It was also 10% lower than what the 2002 Moscow Treaty allowed for deployed strategic warheads. A total number of deployed warheads might exceed 1,550 by a few hundred due to counting rules. Only one warhead counted per bomber regardless of how many it actually carried. The agreement limited deployed and non-deployed intercontinental ballistic missile launchers to 800. Submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers fell under the same 800 cap. Heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments were restricted to 700 deployed systems. These numbers applied across all categories including ICBMs SLBMs and heavy bombers. The obligations had to be met within seven years from when the treaty entered into force. By February 2018 both parties reached their reduction goals well inside these limits. Data released in September 2022 showed Russia with 1,549 deployed warheads while the United States held 1,420.
Ratification required sixty-seven votes in favor out of one hundred Senators in the U.S. Congress. On the 16th of September 2010 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted fourteen to four in favor of ratifying New START. Three Republican senators supported the measure: Richard Lugar from Indiana Bob Corker from Tennessee and Johnny Isakson from Georgia. Senator Jon Kyl questioned whether there was time for ratification during the lame-duck session. He sought strong commitments to modernize U.S. nuclear forces before any vote occurred. Senator Ben Nelson joined Kyl expressing skepticism over timing while Kit Bond voiced outright opposition. On the 22nd of December 2010 the Senate gave its advice and consent by a vote of seventy-one to twenty-six. Thirteen Republicans all fifty-six Democrats and both Independents voted yes. Obama signed documents completing U.S. ratification on the 2nd of February 2011. In Russia Medvedev introduced the document to the State Duma on the 28th of May 2010. The Duma Defense Committee recommended ratification on the 8th of July 2010. Konstantin Kosachev called for returning the document to committee hearings noting missile defense issues. Sergei Mironov proposed not rushing amendments or votes while monitoring U.S. Senate discussions. The third reading took place on the 25th of January 2011 with three hundred fifty deputies voting in favor. The Federation Council approved it unanimously the next day. Medvedev signed the resolution on the 28th of January 2011.
Each state received eighteen on-site inspections per year divided into two categories: Type One and Type Two. Type One inspections focused on military bases housing only deployed ICBMs SLBMs and bombers. Type Two inspections included facilities containing non-deployed systems as well. States could announce inspection team arrivals with as little notice as thirty-two hours. Since 2011 both states made gradual progress toward their reduction goals. On the 13th of May 2011 three former U.S. officials and two non-proliferation experts signed an open letter urging transparency. They asked that information be released to promote trust and support nuclear arms control processes elsewhere. Current data showed aggregate numbers and locations of nuclear weapons publicly available under treaty terms. By September 2022 Russia reported five hundred forty deployed ICBMs and SLBMs plus heavy bombers. The United States listed six hundred fifty-nine such delivery vehicles. Both nations exchanged databases every six months throughout the treaty duration. Initial demonstrations of telemetry playback equipment occurred within one hundred eighty days after entry into force. Exhibitions of converted missile launchers took place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. These confirmed that converted silos no longer launched ICBMs while distinguishing them from unconverted ones.
On the 9th of February 2017 Vladimir Putin asked Donald Trump about extending New START during their first phone call. Trump dismissed it as too favorable for Russia calling it one of several bad deals negotiated by Obama. In June 2019 Andrea Thompson met with Sergey Ryabkov for the first time since 2017 discussing multilateral treaties including China France and Britain. Many members of Congress wrote letters urging extension citing robust verification regimes. On the 1st of November 2019 Vladimir Leontyev stated Moscow believed insufficient time remained to draft a replacement before expiration in 2021. Putin offered immediate extension without modifications on December 2019 allowing inspectors to view Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles. During mid-October 2020 Putin proposed extending current agreement without preconditions for at least one year but Trump rejected this. Subsequently Russian officials agreed to freeze nuclear warhead production for a year plus extend treaty by one year. On the day Joe Biden took office Russia urged constructive approaches over extensions accusing Trump administration of dismantling agreements. Biden sought five-year extension set to expire in February 2021. On the 26th of January Biden and Putin agreed via phone call to extend treaty by five years. The State Duma voted ratification on the 27th of January while Blinken announced formal U.S. agreement on the 3rd of February 2021.
On the 21st of February 2023 Vladimir Putin announced suspension of Russia's participation during his Presidential Address to Federal Assembly. He claimed United States continued developing new nuclear weapons warning tests would be countered by Russian development. Sergei Markov director of Russian Institute for Political Studies said withdrawal could catastrophically reduce U.S. nuclear security. Antony Blinken called decision unfortunate yet very irresponsible while Jens Stoltenberg encouraged reconsideration. On the 22nd of February senior defense official from Russia stated adherence to agreed limits remained intact despite suspension. Sergey Ryabkov announced discontinuation of notification process on the 29th of March saying no notifications or activities under treaty would occur regardless U.S. position. Same day Ministry of Defence reported exercises with Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system involving several thousand troops. On the 30th of March Ryabkov confirmed Moscow would continue notifying U.S. about ICBM or SLBM launches based on 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty agreement. On the 2nd of June United States revoked visas of Russian nuclear inspectors describing step as lawful countermeasure ongoing violations. Relations between nations became critically strained after full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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Common questions
When was the New START treaty signed by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev?
Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met in Prague to sign the New START treaty on the 8th of April 2010. This event marked the culmination of months of diplomatic work between Washington and Moscow.
What are the numerical limits for deployed strategic nuclear warheads under the New START treaty?
Each party could hold no more than 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads under the New START treaty. Data released in September 2022 showed Russia with 1,549 deployed warheads while the United States held 1,420.
How many votes were required to ratify the New START treaty in the U.S. Senate?
Ratification required sixty-seven votes in favor out of one hundred Senators in the U.S. Congress. The Senate gave its advice and consent by a vote of seventy-one to twenty-six on the 22nd of December 2010.
Why did Vladimir Putin announce the suspension of Russia's participation in the New START treaty?
Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russia's participation during his Presidential Address to Federal Assembly on the 21st of February 2023. He claimed the United States continued developing new nuclear weapons which he said would be countered by Russian development.
When was the New START treaty extended by five years after Joe Biden took office?
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin agreed via phone call to extend the treaty by five years on the 26th of January 2021. The State Duma voted ratification on the 27th of January while Antony Blinken announced formal U.S. agreement on the 3rd of February 2021.