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Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty

United States-Russia [2002]
Also known as: Moscow Treaty, SORT

Quick Summary

The Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), also known as the Moscow Treaty, was signed by the United States and Russia in May 2002. This treaty aimed to reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each country to between 1,700 and 2,200 by December 31, 2012.1

SORT did not require the elimination of delivery systems and allowed for the storage of non-deployed warheads. Verification relied on mechanisms established in the earlier START I treaty. The treaty was ratified by both the U.S. Senate and the Russian Duma in 2003. However, SORT's implementation faced challenges due to ongoing tensions between the two nations, including issues related to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Russia's invasion of Georgia.1

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