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Why did the START III negotiations become stalled?

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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.

The START III negotiations, initiated in 1997 to further reduce nuclear warhead levels, became stalled primarily due to disagreements regarding the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.1

During these talks, Russia sought to link any reductions in offensive nuclear systems to the continued maintenance of established restraints on defensive systems, as defined by the ABM Treaty. This created a significant impasse, as the two sides held conflicting views on the role and future of missile defense systems.1

While the negotiations remained bogged down by these tensions, both the United States and Russia continued to seek progress. Ultimately, the focus shifted away from the stalled START III framework, leading to the signing of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) in 2002, which successfully bypassed the specific obstacles that had hindered the earlier negotiations.1