Vladimir Putin announced this Tuesday that Moscow will suspend its participation in the latest arms control treaty between the world’s two major nuclear powers, Russia and the United States.
This announcement is likely to be seen by analysts as a major attempt to raise the stakes in Russia’s confrontation with the West. “I must announce that Russia is suspending its participation in the New START treaty,” Putin said in his State of the Nation address. “It is not withdrawing from the treaty, but suspending its participation,” the Russian president said. “No one should be under the illusion that global strategic parity can be violated,” Putin said.
This announcement comes after Moscow said in August it was suspending US inspections of its military installations under New START. Putin explained at the time that this was in response to US obstruction of inspections by Russia, a charge Washington denied.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, rekindling Cold War fears. On Tuesday, he also accused the United States of “developing new types of nuclear weapons” and warned that if the United States tests new nuclear weapons, Russia will do the same.
The Russian leader instructed the defense ministry and state-owned company Rosatom to ensure the country is “ready” to conduct nuclear weapons tests. “Of course we won’t be the first to do this,” he added.
New START, signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010, limited Russia and the United States to a maximum of 1,550 strategic warheads deployed each – a reduction of nearly 30% from the previous limit set in 2002. The agreement was ratified in 2011.
Current US President Joe Biden extended New START by five years to 2026 shortly after taking office, giving him time to negotiate and preserve what the Democratic administration sees as an important existing treaty.
Source: DN
