January 22, 2021 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday released the following statement after the Biden administration announced that it will seek a five-year extension to the New START nuclear arms control treaty before it expires next month:

            “I am pleased to see President Biden will seek a five-year extension of New START, our last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control treaty with Russia. Extending New START is essential to preventing a dangerous and costly nuclear arms race between us and Russia, and I applaud President Biden for taking immediate action on this pressing issue.

            An agreement to extend New START for the full five years that the treaty allows would preserve the security benefits of the agreement for the maximum amount of time, while allowing for negotiations to take place on additional nuclear and missile control agreements.

            “I urge President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to finalize a five-year extension of the treaty immediately, before it expires on February 5. A nuclear arms race should always be avoided, especially at a time when the world is facing grave public health and economic consequences as a result of the global pandemic.”
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein