The US and Russia are most nuclear-armed nations in the world, and if no new treaty is signed before February 2021, then both nations will have no real limit to nukes each nation can muster.
Time is running out as the last chances to forge a new arms control treaty which keep a cap in for another fifty years, to keep the nuclear genie in the bottle, according to AP News.
According to Time, US President Donald Trump will extend a 'New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty' that should be followed up at the soonest by Feb. 5. This should be drafted, early in Trump's second term, or when the next president of the United States is elected.
China's role in the treaty
Trump wants China to be part of the treaty before finally signing the treaty. One hindrance to Trump's acceptance of Russia's offer to extend any nuclear treaty after five years is the threat of China that seems intent on adding more nukes to its arsenal.
President Trump does not agree with a treaty that allows flights to spy on other nations, and if this is the case which the US shall decide not to sign on the nuclear accord. All these permissible observation flights would be allowable will include 30 other countries.
What Trump wants is a commitment from China to enter a nuclear arms treaty, as a three-nation affair to monitor China as well. But so far, the move is still in its initial stages for now.
Marshall Billingslea, the special envoy for the president will negotiate a mutually acceptable accord for both nations. Talks will begin as the first calls to Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made arrangements to go over specifics needed to draft an acceptable treaty.
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According to Telegraph Herald, Billingslea said it will take time to do and Russia needs to bring China in, as a tripartite agreement to binding the CCP into a treaty on nuclear arms control.
According to Alexandra bell, the current pandemic makes it hard to manage actual person to person discussions, also catching up on the new START treaty that will end on the 5th of February next year will be imperative.
Criticism over President Trump's reelection, handling of the pandemic with all economic woes caused by lockdowns has taken more time than expected. Add up the blaming of China for the pandemic, and he does not want to deal with Xi Jinping.
A spokesman for China, Geng Shuang said that China does not want a treaty, hence it does not want to participate, according to Business Mirror. The American special envoy still says that Beijing will come to the table eventually as a world power.
The new START accord will impose limits on the nuclear arsenals of both nations. Without this, the US will have no idea how many nukes Russia has, said Rose Gottemoeller.
For the US, getting China to enter a treaty will be easier after the pandemic crisis, though Russia has more nukes by far.
Time is getting close, and a new US and Russian arms treaty is needed, but will this administration or the next will get insurance for the next 50 years against nuclear weapons?
