Editing Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (section)

{{Short description|Two conferences between the United States and Soviet Union involving arms control}}
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{{History Of The Cold War}}
The '''Strategic Arms Limitation Talks''' ('''SALT''') were two rounds of [[bilateralism|bilateral]] conferences and corresponding [[international treaties]] involving the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]]. The [[Cold War]] [[superpowers]] dealt with [[arms control]] in two rounds of talks and agreements: '''SALT I''' and '''SALT II'''.

Negotiations commenced in [[Helsinki]], in November 1969.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paterson |first1=Thomas G. |title=American foreign relations: a history. Vol. 2 |date=2009 |publisher=Wadsworth |isbn=9780547225692 |page=376 |edition=7th |language=en |oclc=553762544}}</ref> SALT I led to the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] and an interim agreement between the two countries.

Although SALT II resulted in an agreement in 1979 in [[Vienna]], in response to the 1980 [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]] the [[US Senate]] chose not to ratify the treaty. The [[Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union|Supreme Soviet]] did not ratify it either. The agreement expired on December 31, 1985, and was not renewed, although both sides continued to respect it.

The talks led to the STARTs, or '''''St'''''rategic '''''A'''''rms '''''R'''''eduction '''''T'''''reaties, which consisted of [[START I]], a 1991 completed agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union, and [[START II]], a 1993 agreement between the United States and Russia which never entered into effect, both of which proposed limits on multiple-warhead capacities and other restrictions on each side's number of nuclear weapons. A successor to START I, [[New START]], was proposed and was eventually ratified in February 2011.