United States and Russia must renew nuclear arms control treaty, - Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV called on the United States and Russia to urgently renew the START III nuclear arms control treaty, which expires this week.
This was reported by Reuters, according to Censor.NET.
Lev XIV stressed that the current situation in the world requires maximum efforts to prevent a "new arms race." In this context, he appealed to Washington and Moscow to immediately resume negotiations on the START-3 treaty.
"I make an urgent appeal not to allow this instrument to lose its effectiveness. Now more than ever, it is important to replace the logic of fear and mistrust with a common ethic capable of guiding choices for the common good," said the Pope.
The START III treaty, signed between the US and Russia in 2010, expires on Thursday. The document limited the offensive nuclear capabilities of the two countries, which possess the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin unofficially proposed extending the treaty for another year, but US President Donald Trump did not respond to this initiative.
For reference
- The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is one of the main agreements between the US and the USSR, and later the Russian Federation, on the issue of nuclear arms control in both countries.
- It was signed between Russia and the US in 2010. This is the third agreement between the two countries — the largest owners of nuclear weapons — which will remain in force until 2026.
- Washington signed the first such agreement with the USSR back in the summer of 1991, and the second with Russia in 1993. The agreements stipulate that Russia and the US will jointly reduce their nuclear warheads, as well as possible nuclear weapon delivery systems, from missiles to strategic bombers.
- The main means of control under this agreement is bilateral inspections. The last meeting of the bilateral consultative commission was held in Geneva in October 2021.
- Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he would allow the agreement to expire. However, he said that a "better deal" needed to be struck.
