The head of diplomacy of the United States of America (USA), Antony Blinken, described on Tuesday as “very disappointing and irresponsible” Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the new START agreement on nuclear weapons.
“Russia’s announcement that it has suspended its participation in New START is very disappointing and irresponsible,” he told reporters at the US embassy in Athens, Greece.
However, the US secretary of state said he “remains ready” to discuss strategic arms limitation with Russia at any time, regardless of what happens in the world or in their relations.
“We will continue to watch to see what Russia is actually doing,” Antony Blinken said.
The Russian president declared that Moscow has suspended its participation in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States, increasing tension with Washington in the context of the invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in his State of the Union address, Vladimir Putin also said that Russia should be ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the United States did so, a move that would end the existing global ban on nuclear weapons tests. since ancient times. The Cold War.
Explaining his decision to suspend Russia’s New START obligations, Putin accused the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) partners of openly declaring the goal of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.
The treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, places an arsenal limit on each country of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 missiles and bombers. The agreement provides for inspections at defined locations to demonstrate compliance.
Just days before the treaty is set to expire in February 2021, Russia and the United States agreed to extend it for another five years.
Russia and the United States have suspended mutual inspections under New START since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Moscow last fall refused to allow them to resume, raising uncertainty about the pact’s future. Russia has also indefinitely postponed a planned round of consultations under the treaty.
Source: TSF
