The departure came into effect on December 5, 1994. The disintegration of the Soviet Union in December 1991 and the need to make arrangements for its nuclear heritage contributed to a three-year delay between the signing of the treaty and its entry into force. In May 1992, the Lisbon Protocol adopted principles relating to the adaptation of START I to new political realities. Under the agreement, four post-Soviet states - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine - were recognized as parts to START I instead of the Soviet Union, but only Russia was classified as a nuclear state, while the other three committed to join the non-proliferation treaty and eliminate all weapons and facilities responsible for START I within seven years (the reduction period). While Belarus and Kazakhstan quickly acceded to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and ratified START I "as it is," Ukraine has had intense internal debates over the management of its nuclear assets, which have lasted more than two years. its first start I ratification resolution was rejected by the United States and Russia. In March, the United States and Russia began bilateral consultations at the Vice Minister`s level to discuss a post-START agreement, including a possible extension of certain elements of treaty revision. The FNI Treaty was signed on December 8, 1987 and required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate all ballistic and cruise missiles launched on the ground with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres. The FN Treaty was characterized by its unprecedented and intrusive inspection system, including on-site inspections, and laid the groundwork for the review of the subsequent launch. The FN Treaty entered into force on 1 June 1988 and both sides completed their reductions until 1 June 1991, destroying a total of 2,692 missiles. The agreement was multilateralized after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the current active agreement includes the United States, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are also parties to the agreement, but do not participate in contract meetings or on-site inspections.

The ban on medium-range missiles is unlimited. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), first proposed in the early 1980s by President Ronald Reagan and finally signed in July 1991, forced the United States and the Soviet Union to reduce their strategic arsenals to 1,600 delivery vehicles, which carried no more than 6,000 warheads in accordance with the rules of the agreement. The agreement required the destruction of surplus delivery vehicles, which were verified through an intrusive control system including on-site inspections, regular exchanges of information (including telemetry) and the use of national technical means (e.g. satellites).