India welcomes extension of 'New Start' treaty between the US and Russia

India on Thursday welcomed the extension of the 'New Start' nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia for five years, saying it will help in addressing international non-proliferation and disarmament issues.

''India welcomes the agreement between the US and Russia to extend the treaty on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms (New START Treaty) by five years,'' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

''We hope that this will promote dialogue and cooperation to help address international non-proliferation and disarmament issues,'' it said in a statement.

The New Start treaty, signed in 2010, limits the number of long-range nuclear warheads that each side can possess.

It is the last major pact of its kind between Russia and the US after Washington pulled out of a separate nuclear arms control agreement with Russia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), under the Trump administration in 2019.