President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START, the strategic arms reduction treaty with the United States that limits the two sides' strategic nuclear arsenals.
Russian leader said in his address to the Federal Assembly (Russia’s parliament) yesterday that Russia is suspending its participation in the New START, but is not withdrawing from it.
“I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. I repeat, not withdrawing from the Treaty, no, but merely suspending its participation,” Putin said,
He stressed that before returning to the discussion on the issue of continuing the work as part of New START, Russia has to understand itself “what do such NATO countries as France and the United Kingdom vie for and how will their strategic arsenals be taken into account.”
“That is to say the overall strike potential of the alliance,” said Putin. “Now by their statement they have de facto made a bid for this process. Well, thank God. Go ahead, we are not against. But there is no need to again try to lie to all and pretend to be champions of peace and detente.”
Meanwhile, Western media reports say the United States recently raised concerns that Russia is not complying with provisions of the nuclear treaty, designed to place limits on strategic offensive arms. Earlier this month, NATO called on the Kremlin to stick to its commitments.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that he regrets Russia’s decision. “Over the last years, Russia has violated and walked away from key arms control agreements,” he said at a press conference.
The START was officially signed by US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev on 31 July 1991. The result of the agreement was the first significant reduction in the number of strategic nuclear weapons in both the U.S. and the Soviet stockpiles. It entered into force in 1994, after the Soviet Union’s dissolution, and eventually expired in 2009.
The New Start — formally called the treaty between the U.S. and Russia on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms — originally entered into force in 2011, and includes limitations on systems such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and nuclear warheads on deployed ICBMs. The deal also includes processes for verification.
