The START Treaty is a “Key Issue” for Russia

... participate, that would raise questions on what ceilings would be set on number of warheads, missiles and delivery systems, Antonov added. Would China’s nuclear arsenal grow to the levels of the United States and Russia’s, or would the original START signatories’ arsenals be drawn down to China’s, he asked rhetorically. The existing treaty is between the United States and Russia. Antonov termed the 11-year-old START treaty “the gold standard of arms control agreements.” A new agreement “signals to the world … the United States ...