Pages 155-160 from DEFE 70-2838

This document discusses an agreement reached between the United States and several former Soviet states (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus) regarding the ratification of the START Treaty. The agreement allows for the signing of a protocol at the Lisbon Conference, which will facilitate the ratification of the treaty before the US presidential election. The START Treaty aims to reduce the number of strategic warheads to 6,000 but does not specify which systems should be dismantled or where the cuts should be made. The document addresses the issue of disputed ownership and responsibility for strategic weapons in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. It mentions Kazakhstan's commitment to accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and remove all nuclear weapons from its territory within the implementation period allowed under START. The document also highlights the need for clarifications regarding the fate of strategic systems withdrawn from Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan and their possible destruction or redeployment in Russia.