President Joe Biden made a decision to propose to Russia a five-year extension of the New START treaty that limits the number of U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons, John Kirby, chief Pentagon spokesman said in a statement on Thursday. The treaty, which restricts the United States and Russia to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads each, is due to expire on Feb. 5. “We cannot afford to lose New START’s intrusive inspection and notification tools,” the statement said. “Extending the treaty’s limitations on stockpiles of strategic nuclear weapons until 2026 allows time and space for our two nations to explore new verifiable arms control arrangements that could further reduce risks to Americans,” Kirby said in the statement. The extension and further exploring of new arms control arrangements will be carried out by the State Department, according to the statement. “A far better approach would be a short, 6-month …