The Biden government lobbied to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or Novo Start, with Russia for five years, which is due to expire on February 5. The nuclear agreement regulates and limits how many nuclear weapons each country can have. Russian officials on Friday said they welcomed the news.
Michael McFaul told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that the expiration of the New START with Russia would make the US “worse”.
“We would lose our verification capacity to look inside and see Russia’s nuclear arsenal,” said McFaul, who served as the United States ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. “Remember that Ronald Reagan used to say, ‘Trust, but check? ‘ I say don’t trust, just check, and the new START treaty allows us to do that. I think it’s the right decision for Biden’s new team to extend it. “
Joel Rubin is a former assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, where he has worked with members of Congress on various national security issues, including nuclear security. He agreed with McFaul and told “The News with Shepard Smith” that the agreement stabilizes relations between the two nuclear powers.
“The Trump administration tried to use the postponement of the treaty renewal as a lever, but it did not get anything in return, putting the whole treaty at risk,” said Rubin, who was also Policy Director for the Ploughshares Fund, the nation’s main nuclear security foundation. “We need stability between the US and Russia, which together hold more than 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons. The renewal of the New START will do that.”
Relations between Moscow and the United States are concerned amid a massive cyber attack on federal agencies, interference in US elections and the recent arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexie Navalny. President Joe Biden will ask his Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, to analyze Russia’s interference in the 2020 elections, according to the Washington Post.
McFaul told host Shepard Smith that he believes the answer against Russia is likely to be sanctions, but that the Biden government has options when it comes to penalties against Russia.
“The easiest thing to do is sanction a band of unnamed colonels, FSB, the successor group to the KGB, and check the box,” said McFaul. “The boldest move would be to sanction some of those who empower the Putin regime, including some of the economic oligarchs who support Putin.”
Rubin added that the United States must also work closely with European and Asian allies to pressure Russia to change and deal with its internal repression and aggressive international behavior “, rather than alienating them and reducing diplomatic pressure on Russia, as the Trump administration did. “
McFaul told Smith that he was not sure whether President Joe Biden wanted to spend political capital to get tougher on Russia, because of internal issues the United States is facing, including Covid and an economic crisis. McFaul added, however, he believes it is possible for Biden to do both.
“I think you could walk and chew gum at the same time, I think you should be able to do both at the same time, but we will have to wait and see what they choose to do,” said McFaul.
Rubin told “The News with Shepard Smith” that he thinks it is time for the United States to be “headstrong” when it comes to Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
“We should no longer fear, nor bow down to Moscow, nor hope that we can improve relations between the United States and Russia through kid gloves diplomacy,” said Rubin.