DID Press: US called on Russia and China to enter trilateral negotiations to establish a new framework for nuclear arms control—a move that further heightened global arms-control tensions amid Washington’s direct accusation that Beijing conducted a covert nuclear test, As the New START treaty officially expires.
Speaking on Friday at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, Thomas DiNanno, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, said the New START treaty, which expired on Thursday, suffered from “fundamental flaws” and no longer addresses today’s security threats. He stressed that any future agreement must include China.
According to DiNanno, “Repeated violations by Russia, the global expansion of nuclear stockpiles, and structural weaknesses in the design and implementation of New START compel the United States to seek a new arms-control architecture—one that reflects today’s realities, not the threats of a bygone era.
”New START, the last major arms-control agreement between Washington and Moscow, capped deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550 for each side. With its expiration, there is now—for the first time in decades—no binding agreement restraining the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, raising concerns about the onset of a new arms race.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend New START limits for one additional year, calling instead for a “new, improved, and modern” treaty.
DiNanno further argued that another bilateral agreement would be insufficient, pointing to China’s growing nuclear capabilities. Citing U.S. estimates, he said China could possess more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, adding: “At present, China’s nuclear arsenal faces no constraints—no transparency, no declarations, and no control mechanisms.
”In an unprecedented escalation, the U.S. official also accused Beijing of conducting a “yield-producing” nuclear test on June 22, 2020.