The total number of nuclear weapons both Russia and the U.S. could possess was limited by New START, signed between the two countries in 2010, Sputnik reported. The treaty would have expired on 5 February 2021, had the Biden administration not agreed to extend it for another five years.
Peter Kuznick is a professor of history at American University, where he founded the Nuclear Studies Institute. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, including The Untold History of the United States, Rethinking the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Japanese and American Perspectives and Nuclear Power and Hiroshima: The Truth Behind the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Power.
Professor Kuznick tells Sputnik that the renewal of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the U.S., only days before it was set to expire, is a positive first step in reducing the threat of nuclear war. However, Kuznick argues, far more must be done in order to avert disaster, especially at a time when U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China relations “are worse than they have been in decades”.
Although some of U.S. President Joe Biden’s cabinet picks are cause for concern, Kuznick believes there are also some “seasoned diplomats” who may assist in the improvement of bilateral relations.
