Biden and Putin agree to extend nuke treaty
MOSCOW — President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between their countries, but Biden confronted his counterpart over the poisoning of a Russian opposition leader and other issues, the White House said.
It was the first call between the leaders of the world’s two nuclear superpowers since Biden’s inauguration. The New START treaty, which limits the size of the two countries’ strategic nuclear arsenals, expires Feb. 5, and the call appeared to seal a last-minute agreement to extend the treaty after the Trump administration declined to do so.
But on a host of other high-stakes matters, Biden sent the message that he would be taking a harder line on Russia than his predecessor. He raised the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose arrest Jan. 17 sparked protests across the country last weekend, the White House said.
He also spoke to Putin about what American officials have described as a highly sophisticated hack of U.S. government networks, reports of Russia placing bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, and what the White House said was “interference in the 2020 United States election.”
“President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” the White House statement said. “The two presidents agreed to maintain transparent and consistent communication going forward.”
The Kremlin’s statement on the call confirmed that the two leaders agreed to extend the New START treaty, but it didn’t mention the sources of tension that the White House said Biden had raised.
Instead, the Kremlin emphasized what it said was a “businesslike and frank” call, echoing hopes in Moscow that Biden will lead a more professional and predictable administration than that of former President Donald Trump.