Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday the suspension of Russian participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the latest pact signed with the United States for the reduction and control of nuclear weapons.
Putin, who has indicated that Russia «must be prepared to carry out nuclear tests if the United States carries them out first», has pointed out that it is not a question of «abandoning» the treaty completely but of «suspending participation», as he clarified during his speech before the Russian Federal Assembly almost a year after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He called NATO’s calls for Russia to comply with the treaty «absurd», especially after NATO allies denounced Russia’s non-compliance with the treaty in early February and called on Moscow to fulfill its obligations.
In this regard, he has stated that he has been «forced» to take this decision and has accused the nuclear-armed countries of «continuing to develop their armaments while insisting on having access to the Russian one».
Putin has said he has information about the alleged involvement of third countries in the «attempts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike strategic bases of the Russian Air Force».
According to the president, Moscow also has evidence that the United States is developing «new types of nuclear weapons» which it could «test ‘in situ’.» «They want to inflict a strategic defeat against us. That is why I have to announce the suspension of the treaty. There is no connection between the START issue and the Ukrainian conflict or other hostile actions of the West against our country,» he said.
In early February, members of the Atlantic Alliance stressed that effective arms control is «an essential contribution» to their security objectives and insisted that the treaty remains in the security interests of the international community.
However, Russia has repeatedly refused to allow inspectors on its territory and has been accused of obstructing Washington’s efforts to address the issue.
Washington and Moscow extended the START Treaty in 2021 for a five-year term, giving both nations sufficient leeway to engage in new strategic security talks.
A year earlier, the inspections had to be halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, but when conditions became ripe to resume such activity, Russia refused to resume the visits, largely due to tensions between the two powers over the war in Ukraine.
This treaty between the United States and Russia seeks to limit the deployment of intercontinental-range nuclear weapons by both sides, allowing frequent checks of each country’s programs by the other. The agreement allows Washington and Moscow to deploy up to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 1,550 nuclear warheads on those missiles.
If the treaty is terminated or expires without renewal, the nuclear arsenals of the world’s two largest nuclear powers would be unrestricted for the first time since the Cold War 1970s, and neither side would be able to control the other’s arsenal.
