Yesterday, I wondered if the White House fact sheet on the START Follow-on was not the Joint Understanding itself.
Sometimes, of course, the press flacks just slap “fact sheet” on something and send it out the door.
In this case, however, the fact sheet appears to differ substantially from the actual Joint Understanding. Pavel Podvig notes that Russia posted the latter (in Russian) and provides an annotated translation (via GoogleTranslate). (I am placing the Russian text and Pavel’s translation in the comments.)
There are some intriguing differences that the US fact sheet obscures.
First, during the press conference, Medvedev said: “In our mutual understanding that has just been signed, we talk about the linkage between offensive and defensive weapons…” There is no hint of that in the fact sheet, but sure enough the Joint Understanding indicates that the final text will contain language linking offensive and defensive strategic weapons:
5. The situation on the relationship of strategic offensive and defensive strategic weapons.
Second, the Joint Understanding makes clear that negotiators have not settled on the final range for warheads or delivery vehicles — “specific figures … will be negotiated in future talks.” I speculated yesterday that the US and Russia just kicked the can down the road; that’s now clear from the Joint Understanding.
Third, the Joint Understanding states that the parties have agreed to give themselves seven years to implement any reductions. The pace is, as Pavel notes, “leisurely, to put it mildly” for an agreement that essentially codifies reductions that are underway.
Overall, however, there is nothing in the text that changes my basic opinion that this is a welcome, modest and necessary first step.
Still, I am not sure why the White House is reluctant to release the actual text of the agreement. Honestly, we can handle it.