Nuclear security

US Democratic Senators Urge Trump to Extend Nuclear Treaty with Russia

The New START pact that limits the US and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1,550 warheads each is set to expire in 2021.

Twenty-four Democratic US Senators wrote a letter to US President Donald Trump on Friday, urging him to extend the nuclear arms treaty with Russia, which will expire in two years, The Hill reports.

"We write to urge your administration to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for another five years in order to ensure that the United States can continue to enjoy the treaty's clear national security benefits over this period," the Democrats wrote.

"We are very concerned that so far, the United States has made no visible or concrete effort to extend its life," they added. "Failure to extend New START risks unraveling a broader arms control regime that has helped uphold stable deterrence and curb a costly, destabilizing arms race for nearly half a century."