Putin Suspends New START Treaty, Raising Nuclear Arms Control Concerns

Bir bakışta

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow is suspending its participation in the New START treaty.
• The suspension of the New START treaty has been met with widespread condemnation from the international community.
• Putin has argued that the U.S. and its NATO allies have openly declared the goal of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.
• The suspension of the New START treaty has raised serious concerns about the future of nuclear arms control.
• U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for Russia and the U.S. to immediately return to dialogue.

Ayrıntılar

Russian President Vladimir Putin Suspends Participation in New START Treaty

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States.

Putin sent a draft bill on the pact’s suspension to the Kremlin-controlled parliament, which is expected to quickly rubber-stamp it.

The New START treaty envisages caps on the number of nuclear weapons and broad inspections of nuclear sites.

International Condemnation of Suspension

The suspension of the New START treaty has been met with widespread condemnation from the international community.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have both expressed regret about Putin’s move, with Stoltenberg saying that “with today’s decision on New START, full arms control architecture has been dismantled.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for Russia and the U.S. to immediately return to dialogue.

Putin’s Arguments

Putin has argued that the U.S. and its NATO allies have openly declared the goal of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine, and that NATO allies have helped Ukraine mount drone attacks on Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

He has also alleged that a NATO statement on New START raised the issue of the nuclear weapons of Britain and France, which are part of the alliance’s nuclear capability but aren’t included in the U.S.-Russian pact.

Russia and the U.S. have suspended mutual inspections under New START since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Moscow last fall refused to allow their resumption.

Putin has challenged the U.S. assertion, alleging that Washington has rejected some Russian requests for visits to specific U.S. facilities.

The suspension of the New START treaty has raised serious concerns about the future of nuclear arms control.

Putin has said that Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. does so, a move that would end a global ban on nuclear weapons tests in place since the end of the Cold War.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for Russia and the U.S. to immediately return to dialogue in order to prevent a further deterioration of the situation.