US-Russia Nuclear Disarmament Treaty to Expire at 7 pm ET Tonight with Nothing to Replace It
EmailJake Tapper, Sunlen Miller, and Alexander Marquardt report:
Negotiators for President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have failed to arrive at an agreement to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) nuclear disarmament agreement which expires at midnight GMT (7 pm ET, 3 am in Russia), or even a bridging agreement until a replacement is ready.
Both the White House and Kremlin are doing all they can to pretend that this is no big deal.
In a joint statement by the two leaders about the expiration of the START agreement, they say: "Recognizing our mutual determination to support strategic stability between the United States of America and the Russian Federation, we express our commitment, as a matter of principle, to continue to work together in the spirit of the START Treaty following its expiration, as well as our firm intention to ensure that a new treaty on strategic arms enter into force at the earliest possible date."
This morning White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama spoke on the phone this morning with Russian President Medvedev from the White House, "to continue to make progress on a renewed START agreement."
"They are going to continue working and we'll see throughout the weekend what they are going to come up with," Gibbs said, "I think there are issues that are on both sides of this that each side wants to see worked out." Gibbs said that both sides believe "that we can work through these issues with a little more time."
For months, the White House insisted they would make the December 5 deadline.
In April they heralded a major announcement in US-Russian relations.
During the US-Russian Summit in July there was much fanfare about agreements being made, amidst talk by the president of a new day dawning on US-Russian relations.
The one wrinkle — in July, on White House adviser discussed possibly needing to enact verification procedures on an executive basis while temporarily bypassing the Senate on a provisional basis.
Then in November, suddenly, the White House acknowledged they would not make the deadline though there would be a bridging agreement. Michael McFaul, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and senior director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the United States National Security Council, told reporters: "We do need a bridging agreement no matter what. The key thing there is verification. We just want to preserve the verification."
But Russia did not want a bridge deal that would simply extend START because there are provisions in the agreement that they're trying to get rid of in the new treaty.
Most notably, Russia wanted to get rid of the 20 American observers at the Topol missile factory in Votkinsk who left this morning, according to the US Embassy in Moscow.
Russian observers left the US years ago when the US stopped producing ICBMs, which Russia still does.
McFaul's statement that the US need "a bridging agreement no matter what" is no longer operative, a senior administration official tells ABC News, saying that US-Russian negotiators "are so close to a final agreement, there is no need for negotiators to waste their time with a bridging agreement."
The official says the goal is still that by the end of this year there will be an agreement — something signed by Obama and Medvedev, though not ratified by the Duma or the Senate.
Signed into law in March 1991, START removed more than 75 percent of the strategic nuclear weapons in both countries' arsenals.
As of midnight tonight the famous binding START nuclear disarmament treaty between the US and Russia is — POOF! — no more.
- Jake Tapper, Sunlen Miller, and Alexander Marquardt
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“For months, the White House insisted they would make the December 5 deadline.”
Yet another broken promise/missed deadline by The One.
Our Peace Prize winner will show up in Oslo next week with:
a.) No progress on peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians
b.) No signed agreement on nuclear arms
c.) Escalation of unmanned drone strikes in Pakistan
d.) Escalation of Iranian nuclear program
e.) Announcement this week he is escalating war in Afghanistan
If only the rest of us were as lucky as The One to receive accolades and prizes now for goals we’d like to accomplish sometime in the future…
Posted by: tjp612 | December 4, 2009, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm
Reset ? Don’t they know how sorry we are for winning the cold war ?
Posted by: nat turner | December 4, 2009, 1:05 pm 1:05 pm
Perhaps we should be a lot more concerned about Iran’s activities, than about the Russians.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | December 4, 2009, 1:30 pm 1:30 pm
I can clearly say this is Bush’s fault for not authorizing anyone in his administration to even think about this in his eight year tenure. THey knew it would be one year till it would expire but they didn’t care. It was up to the next admin to deal with it, even thought it was right up to the deadline.
Bush: not a multi-tasker.
Posted by: x | December 4, 2009, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
“I can clearly say this is Bush’s fault for not authorizing anyone in his administration ….”
Posted by: x | Dec 4, 2009 2:52:49 PM
When are things going to become Obama’s responsibility? Also why is it why push comes to shove Obama’s decisions mirror. Bush’s very closesly. I guess Bush is not the stupid one but rather those that voted for Obama.
Posted by: gsplsngr | December 4, 2009, 3:05 pm 3:05 pm
no progress…..
Posted by: vmax14 | December 4, 2009, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
Got more important things to do…a PR tour to “figure out how to create jobs”…..ahem….does anyone else find that statement ridiculous???
No time for this stuff.
It’s Bush’s fault.
Inept
Clown
Stumbling
Failing
Posted by: mjishernameo | December 4, 2009, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
“I can clearly say this is Bush’s fault for not authorizing anyone in his administration ….”
Posted by: x—- Obama wanted to completely revamp the team Bush had with disarmament experts that had stepped down. Russia wanted to add conventional forces and the missile defense system into the negotiations. Nope, Bush wasn’t in any of that. Obama’s and Hillary’s fault for this one. They’ve had almost a year since inauguration and even more since they were elected. No more Bush’s fault BS.
Posted by: lfrichar | December 4, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
e.) Announcement this week he is escalating war in Afghanistan
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Hard to take your post seriously when you claim this is a broken promise.
Obama campaigned on increasing the effort in Afghanistan – he has done that. And NATO has today announced 7000 new troops to the effort.
And yes, it was the Bush administration’s lack of interest in renewing START that allowed the negotiations to drift instead of moving forward.
That will be corrected shortly.
Posted by: tierra | December 4, 2009, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm
I would remind you of the president’s topic of choice for his historic address at the UN: ending nuclear arms for all time.
The split between Obama’s words and actions is downright psychotic. I’m learning to ignore what he says and only study what he does (or fails to do).
So, proliferation wins, sigh, like it has under every Democratic President. We’ll need another Republican to get an honest treaty again.
Cheney, 2012
Posted by: Carol | December 4, 2009, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
What’s this guy been doing for the last 10 months? Where’s Ms. Clinton? I thought these people were going to totally reform our diplomatic relations. Get to work people!
Posted by: Terry | December 4, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
What’s this guy been doing for the last 10 months?
_______________________________
Beginning to correct 8 full YEARS of ineptitude.
Posted by: tierra | December 4, 2009, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
“it IS true our relations with Russia were at an all-time post Cold War low under Bush-Cheney and because of the Bush admin’s lack of interest, negotiations with Russia drifted rather than moved forward”
So what tangible success has Obama made in these fronts? He caved to the Russians over the defense field and sold out the Poles and Czechs. Only to get nothing in return? When he had a chance to stand with the people of Iran he was quite and gave the Government a pass. When he had a chance to stand with the people of Honduras when the elected officials impeached a President who was trying to change their constitution so he could stay in power longer, Obama stood with the socialist President instead of the people.
Posted by: gsplsngr | December 4, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
When he had a chance to stand with the people of Iran he was quite and gave the Government a pass.
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Nonsense. What did the President do and what did you expect him to do?
p.s. – I presume you meant to say ‘quiet’ and that is a complete lie.
Posted by: tierra | December 4, 2009, 5:50 pm 5:50 pm
Nonsense. What did the President do and what did you expect him to do?
p.s. – I presume you meant to say ‘quiet’ and that is a complete lie.
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Ok. How long did it take for him to make a statement at the time of the election? He could have said something like America and the world stands beside the Iranian people against this fraudulent election and the brutal treatment of those he voice dissent. There are many who said that he was being careful as to not jepordize negotions over nukes. But here again you would have him selling out the little guy and getting nothing in return
Posted by: gsplsngr | December 4, 2009, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
Since Ms. Clinton pushed the reset button, it seem like all she would have to do is say “Let’s agree” and then shake on it. What’s the big problem. Oh, you mean it is not as easy as that? Maybe Ms. Rice and Mr. Bush deserve an apology.
Posted by: Terry | December 4, 2009, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
Cheney, 2012 Posted by: Carol | 4:33:29 PM
*************************
LOL Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Cheney in 2012 ? That is the best punch line
I’ve heard in years!
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Posted by: spacerook1 | December 4, 2009, 8:47 pm 8:47 pm
“the world stands beside the Iranian people against . . . the brutal treatment of those (who) voice dissent.”
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That is exactly what the President said.
Posted by: tierra | December 4, 2009, 11:44 pm 11:44 pm
wait a sec, the treaty expired and the world didn’t end? Russians didn’t attack Europe or the US?
OMG how can this be
Posted by: PO'd | December 6, 2009, 1:25 am 1:25 am