Only a few hours earlier, Russian President Putin announced the suspension of the New Start treaty. But now the Russian Foreign Ministry is partially backtracking: Russia stands by the disarmament agreement – at least as far as limiting the arsenal of weapons is concerned.
Russia will continue to abide by the limits on its nuclear arsenal under the agreement, government officials said, despite President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of the suspension of the New Start treaty with the United States. “Russia intends to maintain a responsible approach and will continue to strictly adhere to the quantitative limits on strategic offensive arms throughout the term of the treaty,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The contract is valid until 2026.
Putin said in his State of the Union address that Russia was suspending its participation in the New Start treaty. He called on the Russian authorities to be ready for nuclear weapons tests if Washington were to conduct such tests first.
Putin’s main reason for suspending “New Start” was that France and Great Britain, for example, were further developing their nuclear arsenals and aligning their nuclear potential against Russia. Putin also saw statements by NATO about “New Start” as interference and a reason to reconsider the treaty. With their signing, Washington and Moscow committed to reducing their nuclear warheads to a maximum of 1,550 each and limiting their launch vehicles and heavy bombers to a maximum of 800.
However, the treaty not only limits the nuclear arsenals of both countries, but also regulates the control options. It stipulates that Washington and Moscow can share information about their strategic nuclear arsenals and conduct up to 18 verification visits per year. In its most recent statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry left open whether Russia will continue to adhere to this agreement. Recently, NATO accused Russia of refusing US inspections on its sovereign territory.