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START-2 Strategic Arms Reduction Talks

2001

• Prohibition against the United States reducing its nuclear arsenal below the accountable levels in START I is removed from the Defense Appropriations Bill. This will allow the United States to go below the approximate 6,000 strategic nuclear devices allowed under START I. This change was lead by Senator Levin and Represenative Allen.
• United States Senate Strategic Arms Flexibility Act of 2001 (Introduced).
• United States House of Representatives Strategic Arms Flexibility Act of 2001 (Introduced).

2000

• 21 July 2000: The United States and Russia renewed their efforts to strengthen global stability and international security at the G-8 Summit in Okinawa July 21 and called on the other G-8 members and "all other nations of the world to unite their efforts" toward that end.
• 28 April 2000: Defense Secretary Cohen told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee April 26 that, although he commends Russian President Vladimir Putin for "getting the Duma to ratify" START II (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), he believes that tying ratification to "no deployment for national missile defense (NMD) is simply unacceptable.
• 27 April 2000: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms said April 26 that he will work to block approval of any arms agreement that President Clinton might negotiate with Russia before he leaves office.
• RUSSIA TREATY Voice of America 19 April 2000 -- Many U-S newspaper editorials suggest that Russia's ratification of the START-Two treaty is not only an important victory for arms control, but also a personal achievement for President-elect Putin.
• PRESS RELEASE April 19, 2000 -- The plenary session of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on April 19, 2000 adopted a resolution approving the federal laws on the ratification of START-2 and the 1997 package of agreements on anti-missile defense issues.
• U-S-START TREATY Voice of America 17 April 2000 -- Implementation of the treaty, and even deeper nuclear arms cuts under a START-3 deal, are threatened by the lingering dispute with Moscow over a proposed U-S missile defense system.
• STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT April 14, 2000 - Now, we and Russia can and must seize this opportunity to intensify our discussions on both START III and the ABM Treaty.
• START II Treaty Summary April 14, 2000
• STATEMENT April 14, 2000 - Acting President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir.V. Putin, in connection with the ratification by the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of START-II Treaty and the package agreements on antimissile defence of 1997.
• Text: Albright on Russian Lawmakers' Ratification of START II Treaty 14 April 2000 -- I congratulate the Russian people on the Duma's decisive ratification of the START II Treaty. This is a big step forward.
• Text: Gore on Russian Lawmakers' Ratification of START II Treaty 14 April 2000 -- Vice President Al Gore welcomed the vote by lawmakers in the Russian Duma to ratify START II, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
• START-TWO POLITICS Voice of America 14 April 2000 -- Moscow may back out of the arms reduction treaty if Washington backs out of another treaty that puts sharp limits on defenses against ballistic missiles.
• RUSSIA START Voice of America 14 April 2000 -- In Moscow, lawmakers in Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, approved the measure today (Thursday) by a two-to-one margin.
• RUSSIA / START-TWO Voice of America 11 April 2000 -- Senior Russian lawmakers say the lower house of parliament, the Duma, could vote this week on ratification of the long-delayed START-Two arms control treaty.
• U-S / RUSSIA ARMS Voice of America 10 April 2000 -- U-S officials say Russian moves toward ratification of the long-delayed START-two arms reduction treaty could mark an important step toward even deeper cuts in nuclear weapons.
• RUSSIA / START-TWO Voice of America 10 April 2000 -- Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, may ratify the long-delayed START-two arms control treaty this month.

  1999

• RUSSIA PARLIAMENT Voice of America 13 December 1999 -- Russia's Communist-led Duma, or lower house of parliament, has turned down a request to debate the long-delayed START-Two arms treaty at its final meeting before Sunday's parliamentary elections.
• READOUT TO THE PRESS POOL BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SANDY BERGER September 12, 1999 -- On START II and START III, he said that ratification of START II right now would be difficult, but he said that we're trying our best and he thought there was some wavering among the opposition to START II and that we should continue our discussions on START III, which would make it facilitate ratification of START II.
• RUSSIA - U-S ARMS Voice of America 19 August 1999 -- A preliminary round of strategic arms talks between the United States and Russia has ended with a stern warning from Moscow's chief negotiator.
• RUSSIA - U-S ARMS Voice of America 18 August 1999 -- The United States and Russia have opened a new series of strategic arms control negotiations. The first round of the so-called "START" talks was held behind closed doors in Moscow.
• U.S. - RUSSIA Voice of America 27 July 1999 -- The United States and Russia have agreed to open talks next month in Moscow on a new round of cuts in their nuclear weapons arsenals.
• RUSSIA / START-TWO Voice of America 16 March 1999 -- THE LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT, THE DUMA, HAS OPENED THE WAY FOR DEBATE ON THE LONG-DELAYED START-TWO ARMS TREATY.
• DoD News Briefing Thursday, January 7, 1999 -- There's a law that prevents us from going down unilaterally to the START II levels until the DUMA ratifies START II.

  1998

• RUSSIA / START TWO Voice of America 22 December 1998 -- RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT HAS OFFICIALLY DELAYED DEBATE ON THE START-TWO NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION TREATY. BUT THE ACCORD COULD COME UP AS EARLY AS FEBRUARY.
• RUSSIA / START-TWO Voice of America 17 December 1998 -- LAWMAKERS SAY THE USE OF FORCE AGAINST IRAQ HAS RUINED HOPES THE DUMA MIGHT SOON RATIFY THE "START-TWO" ARMS REDUCTION TREATY.
• RUSSIA / START-TWO Voice of America 10 December 1998 -- THE LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT IS TO DEBATE RATIFICATION OF THE START-TWO NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT TREATY NEXT WEEK.
• Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen Briefing November 23, 1998 -- The New York Times is reporting the United States would like, the U.S. military would like to unilaterally cut nuclear weapons even if START II isn't approved because we simply can't afford the budget to maintain them.
• RUSSIA-START II Voice of America 19 November 1998 -- RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT IS PREPARING TO CONSIDER RATIFICATION OF THE "START-TWO" STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATION TREATY. A DEBATE AND VOTE IS PLANNED AS EARLY AS DECEMBER.
• MOSCOW SUMMIT / ARMS CONTROL Voice of America 27 August 1998 - THE ONCE-PROMISING U-S/RUSSIAN DIALOGUE ON NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL HAS FALLEN VICTIM TO THE POLITICAL TURMOIL IN MOSCOW. AND U-S OFFICIALS AND POLICY ANALYSTS ALIKE ARE GLOOMY ABOUT CHANCES THAT THE MOSCOW SUMMIT CAN PUT THINGS BACK ON TRACK.
• Minot conducts START II mock exhibition : 18 Aug 1998 MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) -- A Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty mock exhibition involving Air Force strategic nuclear weapons-capable aircraft took place here Aug. 12.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing MONDAY, JULY 6, 1998 -- RUSSIA President Clinton To Visit Russia in September Status of Ratification of START II "" ... we would like to see START II ratified as soon as possible and that in the absence of START II being ratified it will be difficult to move farther down the agenda of arms control at this summit; nevertheless, there are other issues to be discussed in this important relationship."
• [EXCERPTS] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing 01 July 1998 -- U.S. policy on Russian ratification of START II and the possibility of START III
• PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY June 10, 1998 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary -- Q Doesn't the Duma's action now kill any possibility of a Moscow trip this summer? MR. MCCURRY: It doesn't kill the prospects for ratification of START II. ... we don't take the postponement that the Duma has now invoked as the last word on the subject and we still have a great deal of confidence in the ability of the government to press for ratification.
• RUSSIA / START TWO Voice of America 10 June 1998 -- RUSSIA'S OPPOSITION-DOMINATED LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT HAS CALLED OFF PLANS TO HOLD HEARINGS ON THE START TWO TREATY, DELAYING HOPES FOR RATIFICATION OF THE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT PACT.
• RUSSIA / START TWO 05 June 1998 Voice of America -- RUSSIA'S FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS HAVE MET LEADERS OF THE COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENT AS PART OF A GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE LAWMAKERS TO RATIFY THE "START-TWO" NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT ACCORD. RUSSIA'S GOVERNMENT WANTS THE TREATY RATIFIED TO PAVE THE WAY FOR SUMMIT TALKS BETWEEN PRESIDENTS CLINTON AND BORIS YELTSIN.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1998 -- RUSSIA US view of Duma and START II passage
• PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary -- May 27, 1998 -- Q Mike, in an interview the other day, Primakov called for de-linking the Russia summit from START II passage. Is the administration giving any thought -- MR. MCCURRY: We have not directly linked them.
• RUSSIAN LEGISLATORS SPEAK OUT ON THE START II RATIFICATION - May 21, 1998 - By Lydia Voronina USIA -- Vladimir Lukin, chairman of the Duma Foreign Committee and a participant in the Russian parliamentary delegation visiting the United States this week, said at a press conference in the Russian Embassy on May 21, "The positions of the Russian legislature and Russian administration on the START II ratification coincide. They both insist on faster ratification. But there is no unity of opinions over this issue in the Russian parliament."
• RUSSIA / START TWO 19 May 1998 -- Voice of America RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT HAS DEALT A BLOW TO HOPES FOR SPEEDY RATIFICATION OF THE "START-TWO" ARMS CONTROL TREATY. LAWMAKERS HAVE POSTPONED DEBATE ON THE ACCORD UNTIL SEPTEMBER -- AT THE EARLIEST.
• RUSSIA / START TWO 18 May 1998 -- Voice of America YELTSIN FACES A TOUGH TASK IN WINNING SUPPORT FOR THE ACCORD IN THE OPPOSITION- DOMINATED PARLIAMENT. WINNING THE DUMA'S APPROVAL WILL BE DIFFICULT -- MAYBE EVEN IMPOSSIBLE. LAWMAKERS ARE LOOKING FOR REVENGE AFTER RECENTLY BEING FORCED TO ACCEPT PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S CANDIDATE FOR PRIME MINISTER.
• CLINTON / YELTSIN 17 May 1998 - Voice of America THE TREATY TO CUT THE ARSENALS OF BOTH SIDES BY TWO-THIRDS HAS BEEN STALLED IN THE DUMA WHERE MEMBERS ARE ANGRY ABOUT NATO EXPANSION. THE PRESIDENT SAID MR. YELTSIN TOLD HIM HE IS PURSUING RATIFICATION WITH NEW URGENCY.
• CLINTON / YELTSIN 17 May 1998 - Voice of America PRESIDENT CLINTON AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN DISCUSSED THEIR OWN ARMS-CONTROL AGENDA, INCLUDING MR. YELTSIN'S EFFORTS TO GET THE START-TWO NUCLEAR ARMS TREATY THROUGH THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT.
• RUSSIA FOREIGN POLICY - Voice of America 12 May 1998 - YELTSIN CALLED ON RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, THE DUMA, TO RATIFY THE 1993 START-TWO ARMS REDUCTION TREATY
• RUSSIA COMMUNISTS / START TWO 30 April 1998 Voice of America RUSSIA'S COMMUNISTS ARE PROMISING A SERIES OF NATIONWIDE STRIKES AIMED AT BRINGING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT. COMMUNIST LEADER GENNADY ZYUGANOV IS ALSO THREATENING TO BLOCK RATIFICATION OF THE "START-TWO" ARMS CONTROL TREATY.
• RUSSIA / START TWO VOA 30 April 1998 RUSSIA'S COMMUNIST PARTY -- THE LARGEST HOLDER OF SEATS IN THAT COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENT -- IS THREATENING TO BLOCK RATIFICATION OF THE "START-TWO" ARMS CONTROL TREATY.
• [EXCERPTS] STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING 27 April 1998 -- Insofar as the START II ratification is concerned, we've seen even the chairman, or the Speaker of the Duma before the Kiriyenko nomination was approved coming out in favor of early ratification of the treaty.
• PRESIDENT'S REPORT ON HELSINKI JOINT STATEMENT 23 April 1998 -- President Clinton submitted to Congress a report on the U.S. approach to implementing the Helsinki Joint Statement, as required by the Fiscal Year 1998 Defense Department Authorization Act Conference Report.
• Russia: Arms-Control Treaty Near 20 March 1998 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The man in charge of Russia's nuclear weapons said he expects his country to finally ratify the START II arms-control treaty this year, the Omaha World-Herald reported Saturday.

  1997

• Russian defense chief stalls START Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov continues to oppose ratification of the START II arms treaty even though the United States offered concessions at the recent Helsinki summit aimed at winning parliamentary approval, according to a report by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Bill Gertz WASHINGTON TIMES 13 May 1997
• GENERAL LEV ROKHLIN BELIEVES THAT START-2 TREATY IN ITS PRESENT FORM IS DISADVANTAGEOUS FOR RUSSIA (RIA NOVOSTI's correspondent Valery Asriyan) JANUARY 29
• [START/CWC/ABM Excerpts] COHEN URGES FURTHER REDUCTIONS IN U.S., RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ARMS (Says weapons of mass destruction pose grave threat) By Jacquelyn S. Porth, USIA Security Affairs Writer, 22 Jan 97
• Russian MP Opposes Ratification Of Start-2 Treaty MOSCOW (Interfax) January 7

  1996

• START II AND BEYOND. Arms Control Today, October 1996, pp. 3-9.
• PERRY SAYS U.S. ANXIOUS TO MOVE AHEAD WITH START PROCESS - By Jacquelyn S. Porth USIA Security Affairs Writer - 26 March 1996
• START II HEARINGS: `PARADOXICAL SITUATION' SEEN [Report by Gennadiy Obolenskiy: `Pentagon May State Its All']
• START II Hearings. Cuts Are In Order Because There Are No Maintenance Funds' by Aleksandr Koretskiy:

  1995

• Yushenkov Denies Attempts To Amend START II Treaty, Moscow ITAR-TASS, in English, 0933 GMT 27 Oct 95
• Kozyrev Attends UN Disarmament Conference Session -- Reaffirms Intention To Ratify START, By ITAR-TASS correspondent Konstantin Pribytkov, Moscow ITAR-TASS World Service, in Russian, 1530 GMT 29 Jun 95
• START II SEEN SERVING INTERESTS OF BOTH U.S. AND RUSSIA By Jacquelyn S. Porth USIA Security Affairs Writer - 17 May 1995
• Nuclear `Pincher': The START II Treaty, the American `Escalation of Superiority' Strategy, and Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA, in Russian, 8 Apr 95
• START II Ratification a Priority in Russian-U.S. Dialogue, By ITAR-TASS diplomatic correspondent Valeriy Sevryukov, Moscow ITAR-TASS, in English, 1239 GMT 4 Apr 95
• START-2 Ratification Priority in Russian-U.S. Dialogue, Moscow ITAR-TASS, in English 1239 GMT, 4 Apr 95
• Kozyrev Calls START-2 Ratification `Most Urgent Task', By ITAR-TASS diplomatic correspondent Andrey Urban, Moscow ITAR-TASS, 1342 GMT 28 Mar 95
• DUMA LEADER CITES HIGH PRIORITY FOR START II RATIFICATION By Jacquelyn S. Porth USIA Security Affairs Correspondent - 7 March 1995

  1994

  1993