New START Deal Example of Productive Nuclear Agreement - European Command Chief

The US-Russia New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is productive for limiting nuclear weapons, US European Command commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Both the United States and Russia agreed under New START to decrease the number of deployed nuclear warheads of 1,550 and the number of deployed missiles and bombers to 700. The agreement is set to expire in 2021 and could be extended.

"As I look back on the treaties and understand why they were put in place, I think they’re actually productive," Scaparrotti told the House Armed Services Committee when asked if he thought New START was a bad idea.

Scaparrotti stressed it was important to evaluate whether nuclear treaties were being enforced.

In February, media reported that US President Donald Trump said in his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin the agreement was a bad deal for the United States.