Trump has been clear on wanting new nuclear arms control treaty, says US official

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. on Friday called for a new arms control agreement after the treaty that set caps on Russia and the U.S.’s strategic nuclear weapons deployments for more than two decades expired on Thursday.

The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno told delegates at the Disarmament Conference in Geneva that extending new START – which set limits on the world’s two biggest nuclear powers the United States and Russia – would not benefit the U.S. or the world, as it was flawed and did not include China.

“Today, the United States faces threats from multiple nuclear powers. In short, a bilateral treaty with only one nuclear power is simply inappropriate in 2026 and going forward,” said DiNanno.

Earlier DiNanno told reporters that President Donald Trump has been clear that he wants a new treaty on nuclear arms controls.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Writing by Friederike HeineEditing by Ludwig Burger)