The United States has been officially informed by Russia of its decision to suspend its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). On this subject declared State Department spokesman Ned Price during a briefing.
“I can say that this memo tells us nothing beyond what we have already learned from public statements made by Moscow officials,” he said.
Price added that Russia’s decision was “irresponsible and regrettable”. At the same time, he noted that Washington is ready to hold another START advisory committee meeting and agree to discuss the concerns of both sides.
“We think it’s in our interest. It would be a responsible step for us, Russia and the whole world, ”assured the representative of the State Department.
Price said the United States continued to fully comply with START, including limits on the number of nuclear weapons, and called on Russia to return to implementing the treaty. He said Washington is currently working on creating the document.
On the afternoon of March 1, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow has delivered an official note to Washington on the suspension of participation in START. He also noted that in recent days Russia and the United States “through closed channels” have been holding talks on START. “Their continuation is possible,” Ryabkov said.
Two days before, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Bonnie Jenkins during an online briefing declared that Washington is in the process of determining what it means in practice for Russia to suspend its participation in the treaty.
As Jenkins noted, even before Russia officially announced its suspension of participation in the agreement, Moscow unilaterally ceased to act within its terms, whereas, she pointed out , “there has been no violation of the essential terms of the agreement”.
On the suspension of Russia’s participation in START, Putin announced it on February 21, during his message to the Federal Assembly. The Russian leader explained the decision by the actions of the West and NATO, which he said are involved in Ukraine’s attempts to strike Russian strategic airbases. The alliance’s demand to return to implementing START, which involves admitting Western inspections of Russian nuclear facilities, has been called by Putin a “theater of the absurd”.
The START Treaty was signed by Russian and US Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama in 2010. The document entered into force in February 2011 for a period of 10 years. In 2021, Putin extended the contract for five years. This is the last of the ongoing bilateral agreements between the United States and Russia in the field of security.
February 22 State Duma and Federation Council unanimously supported the law on the suspension of Russia’s participation in the treaty with the United States on nuclear weapons.
US President Joe Biden called it a “big mistake”. At the same time, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted that Washington does not refuse dialogue with Moscow on the issue of nuclear security.
Is it possible to maintain agreements on nuclear weapons after the suspension of Moscow’s participation in the New START treaty and is it worth fearing a further escalation of the arms race, reads the material of RTVI.
