The United States will no longer provide Russia with information on its strategic nuclear weapons. This was announced at a meeting of the Armed Services Committee in the US Congress House of Representatives, Pentagon chief aide John Plum said. Broadcast was realized on Youtube.
According to him, in connection with the end of the six-month period during which the parties exchange data under the treaty on the reduction of strategic arms (START, START-3), Washington turned to Moscow for up-to-date information, but they replied that they would not provide it. “As a diplomatic countermeasure, the United States will also not provide any information,” Plan said.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal, quoting a representative of the American presidential administration writing that such a step is the first action taken by Washington in response to the suspension of Russia’s participation in the START treaty. “Our goal is to encourage Russia to return to compliance with the treaty,” the source said.
He also said Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins communicated the decision to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
The START-3 treaty entered into force on February 5, 2011. The agreement calls for Russia and the United States to reduce their strategic nuclear forces to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine missiles and strategic bombers, 1,550 warheads and 800 deployed and undeployed launchers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s intention to suspend its participation in START during his address to the Federal Assembly on February 21. The next day, the corresponding bill was approved by both houses of parliament, and the State Department announced that it was ready to negotiate with Moscow on this issue. The United States called the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in New START “a failure and irresponsibility”, but on February 28 Putin approved it.
The Russian Foreign Ministry explained that the decision to suspend the country’s participation in START was due to the fact that the full functioning of the treaty was “cut off” by negative factors that arose through the fault of the United States. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of “destructive actions”, of pursuing “a line towards an overall weakening of the security of the Russian Federation and the political and economic ‘suffocation’ of our country”, as well as an open will to inflict a “strategic defeat” on this.
