Democratic lawmakers urge Trump to extend New START

WASHINGTON - Two US Democratic lawmakers Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.

"With the New START Treaty just one year from expiration, we urge President Trump to reach an agreement with President Putin to extend it for five additional years," said Bob Menendez, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel in a statement.

"It is time for President Trump to listen to reason, expertise, and our allies who recognize the treaty as an indispensable pillar of security," the two senior lawmakers said.

The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, expires on Feb 5, 2021.

Russia has expressed willingness to extend the treaty, while the Trump administration has yet to officially reply. Many experts believe the extension will serve US interest.

The treaty has been in force since February 2011, which stipulates the limits to the numbers of various strategic weapons possessed by both sides.