Chinese Nuclear Stockpile Clouds Prospects for U.S.-Russia Deal
- Trump aides say China’s growing arsenal must be included
- Ex-Senator Nunn says first extend a treaty that already exists
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A key hurdle to extending a landmark nuclear treaty between the U.S. and Russia isn’t Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin. It’s China.
The New START treaty, the last major arms control accord between the world’s two nuclear superpowers, is set to expire in early 2021. Like another key treaty covering intermediate-range nuclear missiles, which collapsed this year after the U.S. quit that accord, Trump administration officials say the agreement may not be worth extending if China isn’t brought into the fold.