Statement by the Russian Student/Young Pugwash regarding the recent initiatives announced by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in the field of international security and arms control

In October 2020 the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin put forward several initiatives aiming to preclude risks related to the dissolution of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START Treaty).

We regard those initiatives as addressing the core issues of international security and responding to the long-term goal of nuclear disarmament.

Firstly, this is a proposal to extend the New START Treaty without additional conditions for at least a year to preserve the Treaty and broker a compromise on outstanding issues.

Secondly, this is a reaffirmation of the commitment to the moratorium declared earlier by the Russian Federation on the deployment of ground-based medium-range and shorter-range missiles, until U.S. missile weapons of analogous classes are deployed in the relevant regions.

The Russian Student/Young Pugwash particularly welcomes the initiative on confidence-building measures and the establishment of a verification mechanism for deployed missiles in Europe. Conducting verification measures concerning the 9M729 missiles at the bases of the Russian Federation's Armed Forces in the Kaliningrad region and the Aegis Ashore systems with Mk-41 launchers at U.S. and NATO bases in Europe could become an important step forward in maintaining the agreements on the ground-based medium-range and shorter-range missiles in Europe.

We note that for the first time in the recent period the highest political leadership of one of two largest states of the nuclear club unambiguously, responsibly and confidently stated its readiness to take specific measures to overcome the credibility gap in the sphere of strategic security, prevent missile crises and an unpredictable arms race. The absence of any other practical proposals in the above-mentioned domain comparable in terms of the degree of responsibility behind them, the possibility of effective implementation and the depth of impact on international security, provides exceptional significance to the announced initiatives. We are convinced that in the current environment marked by militant rhetoric, blatant threats, increase in the number of weapons and their destructive capabilities, the proposals of the Russian Side deserve to be heard, considered and answered. As young scientists, researchers and experts united around such goals of the Pugwash movement as international scientific cooperation, peace and the prevention of nuclear war, we advocate an impartial approach on the part of the international community to the initiatives put forward by President Vladimir Putin. We express our sincere hope that they will serve as an incentive for the political leaders of other states possessing nuclear weapons, or on whose territories such weapons are deployed, to take concrete steps together with Russia to reduce the confrontational potential in the nuclear sphere.

The Statement is signed by:

Chair of the Russian Student/Young Pugwash

of the Russian Pugwash Committee under the Presidium

of the Russian Academy of Sciences

(2012-2017), PhD in Political Sciences

Petr Korzun

Chair of the Russian Student/Young Pugwash

of the Russian Pugwash Committee under the Presidium

of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Natalya Samoylovskaya

Vice-President for Russia and CIS, member of the Executive Board,

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War,

Deputy Chair of the Russian Student/Young Pugwash of the Russian Pugwash Committee under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2012-2017),

PhD in Medical Sciences

Anastasia Medvedeva

November 2, 2020.