The Biden administration is ready to engage with Russia on nuclear arms control, but the buildup of China’s arsenal is complicating those efforts and has to be taken into account as the US modernizes its force, the US national security advisor said.
(Bloomberg) — The Biden administration is ready to engage with Russia on nuclear arms control, but the buildup of China’s arsenal is complicating those efforts and has to be taken into account as the US modernizes its force, the US national security advisor said.
Jake Sullivan said Friday that China’s plan to have as many as 1,500 warheads by 2035 was “one of the largest peacetime nuclear buildups in history.”
The US is eager to talk with Russia on an arms control framework after the New Start treaty that controls the two nations’ long-range nuclear weapons expires in 2026, but “the type of limits the United States can agree to after the treaty expires will of course be impacted by the size and scale of China’s nuclear buildup,” Sullivan said in a speech to the Arms Control Association.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in February that he has suspended Russia’s participation in the treaty and won’t allow the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to inspect its nuclear facilities.
But Sullivan noted that Russia indicated it would abide by the central limits of the agreement. The US would do the same as long as Moscow does, he added. He wouldn’t predict what Putin will do but cited a “track record” of the US and Russia being able to engage in such talks for the broader common interest.
“It’d be hard work and long work, but the notion of Russia being prepared to at least engage in the conversation is rooted in the historical experience of our two countries,” Sullivan said.
China’s Role
Sullivan said that there was no sign China was willing to separate strategic stability in nuclear weapons from broader issues in the relationship and called on Beijing to engage directly with the US on the issue.
“And frankly, the rest of the world should look at this question and say, ‘What does it mean to be a responsible significant power in the world?’” he said. “Doesn’t it mean, actually being prepared to engage in military-to-military communications, particularly where our militaries are operating in close proximity and where the strategic issues have deep and fundamental stakes for the entire world? I think most countries would answer that ‘yes.’”
Sullivan said he held candid discussions on the issue with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi when they met in Vienna last month. He said he made clear the US still wants to pursue a new framework with Russia and is ready to engage with Moscow and Beijing without preconditions but with clear eyes.
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