The US approved a five-year extension of the New START nuclear arms control treaty just days before it was to expire, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty limits the number of nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers that the US and Russia can deploy.

 It was set to expire on Friday.

“Extending the New START Treaty ensures we have verifiable limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers until February 5, 2026,” Blinken said in a statement.

“The New START Treaty’s verification regime enables us to monitor Russian compliance with the treaty and provides us with greater insight into Russia’s nuclear posture, including through data exchanges and onsite inspections that allow U.S. inspectors to have eyes on Russian nuclear forces and facilities,” it said. 

The Biden administration announced its intention to renew the treaty, the only one governing arms between Washington and Moscow, after President Biden assumed office last month.

“Especially during times of tension, verifiable limits on Russia’s intercontinental-range nuclear weapons are vitally important. Extending the New START Treaty makes the United States, U.S. allies and partners, and the world safer. An unconstrained nuclear competition would endanger us all,” Blinken said in the statement.

Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the treaty in their first phone call.

Last week, Putin signed off on extending START for five years after it was passed by the Russian parliament.

The Russian foreign ministry on Wednesday said the extension “guarantees the necessary level of predictability and transparency in this area while strictly observing a balance of interests.”

Former President Donald Trump announced in 2018 that he wanted to restructure the treaty to include China.

With Post wires