Washington: US on Wednesday extended the New START nuclear treaty with Russia by five years. With this extenstion, US President Joe Biden's administration hoped to prevent an arms race despite rising tensions with Moscow.After this extension, The treaty -- signed by then-president Barack Obama in 2010 -- will run until February 5, 2026.

Before the expiray of the deal,  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was extending New START by the maximum allowed time of five years. In a statement he said that President Biden pledged to keep the American people safe from nuclear threats by restoring US leadership on arms control and nonproliferation. Blinken said that US would use the coming five years to pursue diplomacy that addresses all of Russia's nuclear weapons and to decrease the dangers from China's modern and growing nuclear arsenal.

He further said, "The United States is committed to effective arms control that enhances stability, transparency and predictability while reducing the risks of costly, dangerous arms races." As the last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals, New START caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed by Moscow and Washington.

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