The United States on Friday asked Russia to respect New START, the only nuclear treaty in force between the two powers, and to decouple its observance from the war in Ukraine.
“It is unfortunate that (Russia) is linking the implementation of this important strategic nuclear weapons treaty to what is happening in Ukraine. We hope they can decouple it,” US Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Denise Jenkins said during a visit to Brussels.
Jenkins – who met with European Union (EU) and NATO officials – lamented that there has been “no explicit discussion” about this treaty with Russian authorities lately, although he has made it “very clear” that the United States is willing to Russian officials as soon as possible.
“The most important thing is that we can return to the application of this very, very important treaty,” the US undersecretary stressed.
In late January, the US denounced Moscow’s non-compliance with the pact, accusing it of flouting the terms of the treaty signed in 2010 and extended for five years in 2021, namely not allowing US technicians to conduct inspections in the Run Russian. territory. .
“We want to have the opportunity to meet with the Russians, because the implementation of the New START treaty is very important for national security,” Jenkins stressed, attributing the cause of the lack of communication to the war in Ukraine.
“That’s where the flaw really lies. It’s not about visa issues (for Russian diplomats). It’s about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s what caused so much trouble,” Jenkins explains.
Signed into law in 2010 by then US and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, New START limits the number of long-range nuclear warheads each country can possess to 1,550.
The treaty also limits the number of launch vehicles and systems Washington and Moscow can have on active duty or in reserve, but the cornerstone is the verification regime the treaty sets out to ensure those limits are respected.
In this area, both the United States and Russia can conduct up to 18 inspections a year of each other’s nuclear arsenals, with little time for the recipient country to prepare: technicians give 32 hours’ notice and then choose the location they want to investigate .
Source: DN
