Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
- Cooperative Threat Reduction
- Strategic Arms Reduction Talks: Top Questions
- arms control - The Cold War : Soviet and U.S.-led arms-control agreements
- nuclear strategy - Alternatives to mutual assured destruction
- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
- 20th-century international relations - Relations with Russia
Why did Russia seek lower nuclear-arms levels but slower reductions under START II?
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Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
U.S. Pres. Barack Obama talking with Russian Pres. Dmitry Medvedev, just before the two leaders issued a joint statement about their continued cooperation on the New START Treaty, December 4, 2009.
Under the START II treaty, Russia sought lower final nuclear-arms levels because it lacked the necessary resources to maintain or replace many of its aging weapons systems.1
Conversely, Russia preferred a slower pace for these reductions because it also lacked the financial and logistical resources required for the rapid decommissioning of its nuclear arsenal. Consequently, the Russian preference was for a trajectory that achieved deeper cuts over a more extended timeline, aligning the treaty's requirements with the country's limited capacity to manage the dismantling process.1