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U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 OctOber 2020
White House rejects Putin response to U.S. arms control offer

By ROBERT BURNS and DEB erned by the New START
RIECHMANN treaty.
Associated Press For its part, Moscow is suspi-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The cious of U.S. missile defens-
U.S. and Russia on Friday re- es, which it believes could
jected each other's propos- undermine the credibility of
als for potentially salvaging its strategic missiles.
the last remaining legal Speaking in Moscow on
constraint on their strategic Friday, Putin offered to ex-
nuclear forces. President tend New START "without
Vladimir Putin called for an any conditions for at least
unconditional extension one year" to allow time for
of the soon-to-expire New talks with Washington on
START treaty, and the White a follow-on treaty. He said
House called that a "non- Russia is agreeable to in-
starter." cluding its newest nuclear
Adding an edginess to the weapons, some of which
diplomatic clash, President are now being deployed,
Donald Trump's national in future arms talks with the
security adviser, Robert United States. But he made
O'Brien, suggested the Rus- clear that an extension
sians rethink their stance must be unconditional.
"before a costly arms race "All those years, the New
ensues." Administration of- Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via video conference in START has worked, playing
ficials have previously al- Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. its fundamental role of limit-
luded to building up nu- New START was negotiated cap on warheads. dent Bill Clinton, said Thurs- ing and containing an arms
clear forces if the treaty is during the Obama admin- Trump's lead arms control day, prior to Putin's latest race," Putin said.
abandoned, although the istration and ratified by the negotiator, Marshall Billing- remarks, that the U.S. freeze Just a few hours later,
Pentagon has its hands full Senate, has said he would slea, blamed the Russians idea may be a "domestic O'Brien issued a written
paying for a one-for-one not hesitate to agree to Pu- for missing what he called political gambit" ahead of statement regretting Mos-
replacement of older nu- tin's original proposal for a an historic opportunity. "The the Nov. 3 election. cow's position and touting
clear weapons. five-year extension of New United States made every "I see no real significance the U.S. approach, which
In the closing days of his START. That would be fol- effort," he wrote on Twit- to it," he said. "I can't see he said "would have been
reelection bid, Trump has lowed by negotiation of a ter Friday, but the Russians any rationale for it." a win for both sides." He
looked for ways to boost his follow-on deal. "backtracked on an agree- The arms control effort is said he had thought the
foreign policy record, and The Trump administration ment" to cap the number hampered in part by de- Russians were willing to ac-
although he says he fa- recently proposed a one- of nuclear warheads of all teriorating trust between cept the American propos-
vors nuclear arms control, year extension of the 2010 kinds. Russian officials have Washington and Moscow. al when he met with them
he has called New START treaty, which is set to expire denied they made any Washington accuses Mos- in Geneva on Oct. 2.
flawed and unfavorable to in February 2021, but it said such agreement. cow of cheating and of as- "President Putin's response
the U.S. Last year he with- this must be coupled with The Trump administration's piring to a nuclear buildup. today to extend New START
drew the U.S. from a sepa- the imposition of a broader talk of a cap, or freeze, on The Defense Intelligence without freezing nuclear
rate nuclear arms treaty cap on U.S. and Russian all categories of warheads Agency last year projected warheads is a non-starter,"
with Russia, and he waited nuclear warheads. The cap has puzzled some U.S. ana- that Russia's overall stock- O'Brien said. "The United
until this year to begin en- would cover warheads not lysts, in part because the pile of nuclear weapons States is serious about arms
gaging the Russians on the limited by the New START number of those weapons would "grow significantly" control that will keep the
future of the New START treaty. Putin said Friday a has held steady over the over the next decade, driv- entire world safe. We hope
deal. one-year extension was past decade or so. William en by an increase in short- that Russia will reevaluate
Democrat Joe Biden, who okay but should not be J. Perry, who served as de- er-range, or non-strategic, its position before a costly
was vice president when conditioned on a wider fense secretary under Presi- weapons that are not gov- arms race ensues." q

FBI probing if Russia involved in Hunter Biden email story

By ERIC TUCKER on a laptop that had been tion, according to a person
Associated Press left last year at a Delaware familiar with the matter who
WASHINGTON (AP) — The computer repair shop for spoke on condition of ano-
FBI is investigating whether service but never retrieved. nymity to The Associated
emails that were published The unlikely account of Press to discuss an ongoing
by the New York Post re- how the emails surfaced matter. It underscores the
lated to Joe Biden's son, raised immediate questions extent to which Giuliani,
Hunter, are connected to about Russian involvement, through his activities, is a
a possible Russian influence particularly because U.S. risk to a White House that
operation to spread disin- officials have warned that spent years shadowed by
formation, according to Russia — which backed a federal investigation into
a person familiar with the Trump's 2016 campaign whether Trump associates Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani pauses while addressing
matter. through hacking and a had coordinated with Rus- supporters of President Donald Trump supporters Monday, Oct.
The newspaper said in its covert social media cam- sia. 12, 2020 during a Columbus Day gathering at a Trump campaign
story Wednesday that it paign — is interfering again The authenticity of the field office in Philadelphia.
had obtained a hard drive this year. emails remained unclear as Associated Press
from Rudy Giuliani contain- The episode is being investi- of Friday, including whether did not respond to an As- Fox News interview Friday
ing the emails, and that gated as part of a possible they were hacked or possi- sociated Press request for that the material was "au-
the messages were found Russian influence opera- bly forged or both. Giuliani comment, but he said in a thentic as hell."q