Russia says no arms reduction deal without missile defense clause

nandu

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Russia says no arms reduction deal without missile defense clause

Russia insists on the inclusion of U.S. missile defenses in Europe in a new strategic arms reduction treaty between the two countries in order to ensure nuclear parity, Russia's top military commander said.
Russia and the United States have been negotiating a replacement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty since presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama met in April last year, but finalizing a document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.
START 1, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, expired on December 5.
"The treaty is some 95% ready, but we still have to resolve some issues, including getting the U.S. agreement to include the missile defense issues in the treaty," General Nikolai Makarov said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily published on Tuesday.
Makarov said the previous treaty was skewed in favor of the United States and harmed Russia's national interests. This time, Moscow wants to make sure that a new deal is based on parity and stability.
"If the Americans continue to expand their missile defenses, they will certainly target our nuclear capability and in this case the balance of forces will shift in favor of the United States," the general said.
He added that the development of missile defenses would inevitably lead to a new round of the arms race and undermine the true nature of nuclear arms reductions.
Moscow hoped that the controversy over the U.S. missile shield in Europe had been resolved after the Obama administration scrapped plans last year for interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.
But the new U.S. phased-in approach for European missile defense, which adds a naval component and could involve not only Poland and the Czech Republic, but also Romania and Bulgaria makes the potential threat to Russian nuclear deterrent even stronger.
The planned deployment of U.S. interceptor missiles in the Black Sea region has triggered fierce criticism from Moscow.
Makarov said the Russian and the U.S. presidents were deeply involved in the negotiations on the issues that are still holding back the conclusion of the new treaty.
"Whether the new treaty is signed, and how soon this will be, depends on the sides' readiness to consider each other's interests," he said.
"All I can say with certainty is that the issue will be resolved on a parity basis and without any harm to Russia," the general concluded.

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A.V.

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very tough to budge russia on this the us sinister plan is not working
1.georgia wrecked
2.gas deal with europe/cut offs
3.ukraine does a U turn
4. us negotiates and withdraws from polish sheild

there is only 1 winner and its not the "MIGHTY" US
 

ahmedsid

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True AV, I can see only one country rise up in this issue and it definitely is not Uncle Shyam. The Bear is in no mood to budge, and the Americans have made a fool out of Georgia. Every other country bordering Russia will think twice before take the US as a "Paper" Ally. Superior Training by the US Marines, and Tech from the US and Israel did no good for Georgia, nor did a Pro US President get Ukraine warmth in the dead of the winter.

All the above took place simply because the US decided to take on the Bear in its labyrinth, its den. Better luck next time! Dialogues like "looked into his soul" et al wont work and so called "Reset Button" wont do either if there are no concrete steps by the US to stick to its word.
 
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Russia needs to keep a firm stance, US has a way of changing their words as we have seen with the Bush nuclear deal the administration changes and the new administration does not honor what was already been signed and finalized.
 

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U.S. Senate to discuss arms treaty with Russia in April-May

The U.S. Senate plans to hold hearings on ratifying a new signed arms reduction deal with Russia in April-May, a leading U.S. senator has said.
A signed Russian-U.S. treaty has to be ratified by the two states' parliaments to go into effect.
"We intend to begin hearings between Easter [April 4] and Memorial Day [May 31] on the historical record of strategic arms control," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said in a statement.
START I, the cornerstone of a post-Cold War arms control setup, expired on December 5 2009.
Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms reduction pact since the two countries' presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.
U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the treaty on Wednesday morning with Kerry and Senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. The two senators will play the key role in the document's ratification.
"Once the treaty and its associated documents are completed and submitted to the Senate, Senator Lugar and I look forward to holding hearings and giving the treaty immediate and careful attention," Kerry said.
He said the goal is to ratify the treaty by the end of this year.
"I assured the president that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year," the U.S. senator said.

A Kremlin source who had requested anonymity said on Wednesday the two countries had reached agreement on all the documents for a new strategic arms pact, which could be signed in Prague. White House officials indicated, however, that Moscow may have jumped the gun in making the announcement.
AFP said on Wednesday that the treaty might be signed in Prague, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Czech Republic's neighbor Slovakia to take place on April 7.
"We may logically assume that it will happen this way," the agency quoted Vladimir Fedorov, citing a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Prague, as saying.

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nandu

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Russia-U.S. arms pact signature date not yet set - Russia

The date for the signing ceremony of a new strategic arms pact between Russia and the United States has not yet been set, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

"In regard to the date for signing the document, there is no official agreement. The decision on the date can be made only by the presidents of Russia and the United States, and they are determined to do this soon," Andrei Nesterenko said.

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nandu

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Russia, U.S. to sign arms reduction treaty on Apr. 8

The presidents of Russia and the U.S., Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, agreed on Friday to sign a new arms reduction treaty in Prague on April 8, the White House said in a statement.

The White House also said that the new pact stipulates the reduction of warheads to 1,550 on each side.

The Russian president's press secretary said that the two leaders announced the date and place of the signing after a telephone conversation on Friday.

"The presidents thanked each other for cooperation. Medvedev said that the deal reflects the balance of interests of both states," Natalya Timakova said.

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The Russians are probabaly making a mistake US will get them to sign the treaty and go back on their word and still place the missile shield,containing Russia thru a missile shield started with the Reagan administration and almost 3 decades later the same arm twisting is used today.
 

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Russia, U.S. to cut nuclear arsenals in seven years under new treaty

The new Russia-U.S. strategic arms reduction treaty stipulates that the two states reduce their nuclear arsenals to the agreed levels in seven years, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Friday.

"The main result of negotiations is a cut of more than 30% in Russian and U.S. strategic offensive weapons. The treaty will have a validity term of ten years, and the established parameters are to be reached within seven years," Gen. Nikolai Makarov said.

Under the treaty, the number of nuclear warheads is to be reduced to 1,550 on each side. The number of delivery vehicles - deployed and non-deployed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear weapons - must not exceed 800 on each side.

The treaty also stipulates that strategic offensive weapons are to be based solely on the national territories of Russia and the United States.

"The agreements lift mutual concerns and meet Russia's interests in full," Makarov said.

The deal is to be signed by the presidents of Russia and the U.S. on April 8 in Prague.

The signed deal has to be ratified by the parliaments of the two states in order to come into effect.

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nandu

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Tactical nuclear weapons next target for arms control - Lavrov

Talks on the prohibition of tactical nuclear weapons deployment in third countries should be the next step in arms control, the Russian foreign minister said on Friday.

Moscow and Washington announced earlier in the day that a new strategic arms control treaty, reducing nuclear warheads to 1,550 and delivery vehicles to 800 on each side, would be signed on April 8 in Prague.

The treaty, which is valid for ten years, stipulates that strategic offensive weapons are to be based solely on the national territories of Russia and the United States.

"I am convinced that negotiations on further progress in nuclear arms reduction will continue. But this conversation can only be conducted in the context of the general strategic situation, in the context of general disarmament tasks," Sergei Lavrov said.

He added that Russia had earlier proposed that nuclear weapons must only be deployed in the territory of those countries to which they belong.

"This should be the starting point in any conversation on this topic," he said.

The minister said the new treaty will be submitted to the national parliaments for ratification "as soon as it is signed."

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms control pact since the two countries' presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.

The Kremlin said the new treaty will establish a link between missile defense and offensive weapons

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800 MIRV delivery vehicles still delivers 3000- 8000 nukes, looks like the trend toward MIRV will continue.
 
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White House: Arms Treaty Doesn't Restrict Missile Defense

It took "a year of intense negotiations" with Russia to work out a new nuclear weapon reduction treaty, U.S. President Barack Obama said March 26. Even tougher negotiations might be required to push the treaty through the U.S. Senate. At least two senior Republicans - Sens. Jon Kyl, Ariz., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell - have warned Obama that he must develop a plan for modernizing the U.S. nuclear arsenal before they will support a nuclear weapon drawdown treaty.

The pair have also warned that any restrictions on U.S. plans to build missile defenses in Europe would doom ratification.

Obama needs at least 67 votes in the Senate for ratification. That means eight Republicans and all Democrats would have to vote for it. But lately, Republicans have been voting unanimously against major legislation that Obama favors.

Putting a positive spin on the situation, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she expects the treaty to be ratified with "broad bipartisan support" in the Senate.

The United States and Russia have agreed to reduce their deployed nuclear weapons by about a third. The cuts are spelled out in a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that would reduce the number of deployed nuclear weapons for each country to 1,550. The United States now has about 2,200 deployed weapons; Russia has about 2,600, said John Isaacs, director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

Obama announced the arms agreement shortly after ending what he called "a productive phone call with [Russian] President [Dimitri] Medvedev." Obama called the pact "the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades."

The White House made a point of stating that the treaty "does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs" or of conventional long-range strike capabilities.

Medvedev and Obama are expected to meet in Prague on April 8 to sign the treaty. It must then be ratified by the Senate and the Russian parliament.

The "deployed weapons" the treaty controls include warheads on deployed intercontinental missiles and on long-range submarine-launched missiles. Each deployed bomber equipped to carry nuclear weapons is to count as one warhead.

The treaty does not reduce tactical nuclear weapons or warheads held in reserve, Isaacs said. Counting those, the United States nuclear arsenal includes about 9,000 weapons, he said.

Each country would be limited to possessing 800 bombers and nuclear missile launchers - land and submarine based. Of those, only 700 could be deployed.

Those limits cut the number of allowed "delivery vehicles" by more than half, according to information provided by the White House.

The treaty includes provisions for each country to perform on-site inspections and data exchanges and to use spy satellites to monitor treaty compliance. In addition, the two countries would exchange telemetry, which includes information on missile performance, warhead size and other data.

Concern about whether the treaty can win Senate ratification prompted Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to issue an appeal for Republican support.

"I know there has been a partisan breakdown in recent years, but we can renew the Senate's bipartisan tradition on arms control and approve ratification of this new treaty in 2010. I know that can happen," Kerry said.

Isaacs said previous arms control treaties have passed with 90 to 95 votes, but orchestrated resistance by Republicans could block this one.

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U.S. missile shield plans to get no advantage from new treaty - Lavrov

The new Russian-U.S. strategic arms reduction treaty to be signed soon, contains no clauses making it easier for the U.S. to build a missile shield posing a threat to Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"Nothing in this treaty contains clauses which would make it easier for the U.S. to develop a missile shield which would pose a risk to Russia," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's TV-Center channel.

Moscow and Washington announced on Friday that a new strategic arms control treaty, reducing nuclear warheads to 1,550 and delivery vehicles to 800 on each side, would be signed on April 8 in Prague.

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms control pact since the two countries' presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.

"We cannot prohibit the U.S. from making developments in its missile defense, but the link between these developments and the quality and quantity of strategic offensive weapons will be clearly fixed in this treaty," he said.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Friday the treaty, if ratified, will not prevent the U.S. from "improving and deploying" its missile defense elements in Europe.

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nandu

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Russia to withdraw from arms reduction deal if USA increases missile defense

Russia may withdraw from the arms reduction treaty if Washington significantly increases its missile defense, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama are to sign a new strategic arms treaty on Thursday in Prague. The pact will replace the START 1 treaty, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired on December 5.

"Russia has the right to withdraw from the strategic nuclear weapons treaty if a quantitative and qualitative increase in U.S. strategic missile defense significantly influences the effectiveness of Russian strategic nuclear forces," the minister said adding that Russia itself will determine the extent of such influence and that this was a specific precondition of Russia.

The strategic arms pact stipulates that the number of nuclear warheads is to be reduced to 1,550 on each side, while the number of delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on each side.

Under the deal, which will have a validity term of ten years unless it is superseded by another strategic arms reduction agreement, strategic offensive weapons are to be based solely on the national territories of Russia and the United States.

Lavrov said that Washington's plans for a missile defense shield do not presently constitute any threat to Moscow's strategic interests, but he emphasized that Russia did not rule out that the plans could eventually constitute a threat.

"If the strategic missile defense shield [...] is estimated by our military specialists to be posing a risk for Russia's strategic nuclear forces, then we will have the right to use the conditions included in the [new arms cut] deal."

Lavrov expressed hope that the new deal will be ratified by the Russian State Duma and the U.S. Congress by the end of April.

"I can only speak from the Russian side," he said. "The Russian side is confident that the treaty, which we will sign and forward for ratification, deserves to come into force," he said.

Lavrov has repeatedly suggested that a new nuclear arms cuts deal be linked to Washington's missile operations in Eastern Europe.

Many experts believe, however, that the Russian demand will probably not be satisfied as the U.S. Senate is unlikely to ratify any document containing a formal link between arms cuts and the missile shield.

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a replacement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty since Medvedev and Obama met in April last year, but finalizing a document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.

In February, Bulgaria and Romania said they were in talks with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration on deploying elements of the U.S. missile shield on their territories from 2015.

The move came after Obama scrapped last September plans by the Bush administration to deploy missile-defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland due to a reassessment of the threat from Iran. Russia fiercely opposed the plans as a threat to its national security.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100406/158451816.html
 

nandu

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Russia, United States sign new arms reduction treaty (WRAPUP)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed on Thursday a new treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive weapons to replace the START 1 treaty, which expired in December 2009.

The document is expected to bring Moscow and Washington to a new level of cooperation in the areas of nuclear disarmament and arms control.

"Together we start on that path and prove the benefits of cooperation. Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation and for U.S.-Russian relations," Barack Obama said at the signing ceremony in Prague.

The new strategic arms pact stipulates that the number of nuclear warheads is to be reduced to 1,550 on each side, while the number of operational and stockpiled delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on each side.

Under the deal, which will have a validity term of ten years, unless it is superseded by another strategic arms reduction agreement, strategic offensive weapons are to be based solely on the national territories of Russia and the United States.

Speaking after the signing of the documents, both presidents emphasized the importance of the document for nuclear security and for Russian-U.S. relations and pledged to work with lawmakers to ensure timely ratification of the documents by both sides.

The presidents, who met shortly before the signing ceremony, discussed a number of issues related to sanctions against Iran, arms control, non-proliferation, and missile defense.

IRAN

The UN Security Council may revise its approach to Iran as Tehran is not responding to compromise proposals on its nuclear program.

"Unfortunately, Tehran is not responding to a number of constructive compromise proposals and we cannot close our eyes to this. Therefore, I do not rule out that the Security Council will have to revise this issue," the Russian president said.

Obama reaffirmed that the United States would not tolerate any actions by Iran that risk an arms race in the Middle East.

"That is why United States and Russia are forming a coalition of nations insisting that the Islamic republic of Iran faces consequences because they continually failed to meet their obligations," Obama said.

"We are working together in the U.N. Security Council to pass strong sanctions on Iran and we will not tolerate actions that flout NPT risking arms race in the vital region," he added.

MISSILE DEFENSE

Both presidents have also pledged to continue dialogue on missile defense to remove disagreements that remain between Moscow and Washington over U.S. missile shield plans.

Medvedev proposed cooperation with the United States in creating a global missile defense system.

"We are interested in cooperating on this issue as closely as possible with our American partners," Medvedev told a press conference in Prague.

"We offered the United States our services in establishing a global missile defense system. We need to think about this," he added.

Russia earlier emphasized its right to withdraw from the new treaty if a quantitative and qualitative increase in U.S. strategic missile defense significantly harmed the effectiveness of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.

Obama said missile defense could be an important component of protecting the United States and its allies from the threat of a missile attack.

But he insisted that the U.S. missile plans will not harm Russia's interests and the existing balance of forces.

"We also want to make clear that the approach that we have taken is in no way intended to change the strategic balance between the United States and Russia," Obama said.

RATIFICATION

The treaty must be ratified by the Russian parliament and the U.S. Congress and will come into force after the sides exchange instruments of ratification.

"I feel confident that we are going to be able to get it ratified," Obama said.

Medvedev said Russia and the United States should submit the new disarmament treaty for ratification simultaneously and added that there would be no delay on Moscow's part.

Russian and U.S. senators will hold meetings on April 20-21 to discuss the ratification of the new treaty.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100408/158483818.html
 

nandu

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Medvedev renews warning on missile defence



Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned in an interview that he could walk away from a nuclear disarmament treaty signed last week if a US missile defence program in Europe creates "imbalance."

Medvedev said former Cold War foes Russia and the United States negotiated specific language in the preamble of the new START treaty he signed last week with US President Barack Obama.

This "formula" states that there is an "interconnection between the strategic offensive arms and missile defence," Medvedev told ABC News.

"So if those circumstances will change, then we would consider it as the reason to jeopardise the whole agreement."

If the United States "radically multiplies the number and power of its missile defence system, obviously that missile defence system is indeed becoming a part of the strategic offensive nuclear forces, because it's capable of blocking the action of the other side," he added.

"So an imbalance occurs, and this would be certainly the reason to have a review of that agreement."

Obama's Republican foes have cautioned they will oppose the pact if it hampers the US missile defence plans bitterly opposed by Russia.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Medvedev-renews-warning-on-missile-defence/3616/1/11.html
 

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