The State Duma assessed the likelihood of concluding a new START treaty

The conditions for a new strategic offensive arms treaty (START treaty) have not actually developed, Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia.

"There is no political will on the part of Washington to implement it (the START Treaty. — Ed.) to conclude," he noted, adding that there is also no agreement on the part of the Europeans.

According to him, the historical practice of such agreements between Moscow and Washington has been successful in itself, but now the negotiation process rests on the position of Western countries.

The MP stressed that if the parties had good will, there would be no fundamental obstacles to extending or updating the agreements. If neither side is going to start a war and considers strategic weapons as a deterrent, the way to an agreement remains open, Novikov believes.

The Army divorce: how the Warsaw Pact came to an end

35 years ago, the era of confrontation between the two military blocs ended.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on May 12 that Russia was forced to think about ensuring its strategic security after the United States withdrew from the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM). He stressed that work on improving deterrence forces was resumed in Russia in the two thousandth years, when the country was going through a difficult time.