In the aftermath of the Helsinki summit and the long-awaited meeting between President Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, many in the mainstream media question the success of these talks. One notable issue that can have a significant impact on the American security and geopolitical interest is the renewed arms race between these two powers.
On that note, it is important to emphasize that the two leaders have opened the issue of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty which is the primary element that keeps the arms race from a full escalation. The 2010 treaty provision allows each side to monitor what the other is doing on the field of strategic weapons.
The result of these talks between the two leaders will be the key element which will set the direction of the U.S defence policy. The New START treaty ends in 2021 and with the current state of affairs, it seems that will be a big challenge for the US defence policy. Based on the recent steps taken by both sides, it seems that there is no interest from either side in reducing the number of strategic weapons which in turn can put the extension of the deal at risk. On that note, it is important to underline that the Trump administration has set a goal to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal as one of the first steps towards maintaining the U.S hegemony as the only superpower on the planet. However, while POTUS wows to take concrete steps towards nuclear modernization, it seems that the Russians gained the upper hand in this race at the moment.
According to Vladimir Putin, the Russian military has fielded the new generation SARMAT nuclear weapons. Moreover, in his annual address to the nation, the Russian president showed a globe-circling ballistic missile that has the capability to fly over either the North or the South Pole to strike targets at any location on the planet with more powerful and more numerous warheads. This strategic weapon can also evade any missile defence system. Combined with that, the Russian Army developed a nuclear-armed hypersonic vehicle that the U.S. arsenal currently does not possess.
These recent innovations of the Russian side, put the American geostrategic and security policies back on the drawing board. Falling behind the old adversary will be something that nobody in the Pentagon will want. In recent years the U.S. complaints about Russian actions on the developing their nuclear arsenal have increased. This was one of the main reasons behind the new nuclear policy of the Trump administration. Washington sees the nuclear modernization as the main element of a new geopolitical security policy as the main element of the overall defence plan. The New START treaty can be one obstacle for putting this blueprint into place. Nevertheless, during the last NATO summit in Brussels, President Trump has indicated that he is willing to negotiate an extension of the New START treaty. However,the reality is that this will be a lot harder as the U. S must and will aim to develop its own nuclear arsenal to be able to counter the new generation of Russian strategic weapons. That is why the New START agreement will probably have to wait better days for a possible extension and a further control of the strategic weapons.
On a final note, we can conclude that the current geopolitical situation is quite complex for the United States. And while President Trump aims to normalize the relations with Russia, the overall impression is that the U.S defence policy will aim to expand and modernize the strategic weapons arsenal thus putting the possible extension of the NEW Start treaty into jeopardy.