U.S. proposes to Russia to extend the nuclear treaty for five years

US officials said Thursday (January 21) that the new administration of US President Biden plans to propose to Russia an extension of a nuclear weapons treaty originally scheduled to expire on February 5 for five years.

An official said that Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is scheduled to make this proposal to the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, on Thursday afternoon.

This move may be welcomed by Moscow and US allies in Europe.

NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg (Jens Stoltenberg) said Thursday that the United States and Russia should extend and expand the treaty.

Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels: "We should not fall into a situation where there are no restrictions on nuclear warheads, and the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty will expire in a few days."

"The extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is not the end, but the beginning of our efforts to further strengthen arms control," Stoltenberg said.

The treaty was signed in 2010 by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Medvedev. According to the agreement, the nuclear warheads deployed by the United States and Russia shall not exceed 1,550.

Former US President Trump once criticized the agreement, saying it put the United States at a disadvantage.