Bill on suspension of New START submitted to Russian State Duma

• 

The speaker of the Russian parliament's lower house speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, told reporters on Tuesday that the bill to suspend Russia's participation in the New START treaty had been submitted to the State Duma.

"The Russian president submitted to the State Duma a draft federal law 'On the suspension by the Russian Federation of the operation of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on measures to further reduce and limit strategic offensive weapons,'" Volodin said.  

The vote for passing the bill in the Duma is scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

It will then be submitted to the Parliament's upper house, the Federation Council, to consider the bill as well on Wednesday - if the Duma approves and submits it, Grigory Karasin, the head of the council's international committee, told Sputnik.  

Read more: By ‘vilifying’ Putin, 'idolizing' Zelensky; US moulds war narrative

Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message to the Federal Assembly that Russia was suspending - not withdrawing- its participation in the Russian-US New START.

"I have to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Let me say it again — [Russia] does not withdraw from the treaty, namely suspends its participation. But before returning to its discussion, we need to understand what countries such as France and the United Kingdom consider to be their strategic arsenals, and how we will take them into account, that is, the combined strike potential of the [North Atlantic] Alliance," Putin tersely stated.

The US has issued an intolerable ultimatum to Russia on the New START treaty: Moscow must comply with the document's requirements, while Washington will do whatever it wants, as per the Russian President.

"Now, through representatives of NATO, in fact, they are putting forward an ultimatum — 'Russia should fulfill everything you agreed to, including the START treaty, and we will behave as we please,' as if there is no connection between the problems of START and, say, the conflict in Ukraine, other hostile actions against our country. As if there are no loud statements that they want to inflict a strategic defeat on us," Putin said.

Read more: West wants to be done with Russia, seeks proxy war in Europe: Putin