New START decision in response to US increased hostilities: Russia FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Feb 2023 00:30

The increasing military support granted to Kiev by the US has changed the conditions under which the treaty was signed, the statement read.

Pigeons take off in front of the Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement on the suspension of the New START treaty as a follow-up to Putin's declaration earlier today announcing Moscow's withdrawal from the treaty.

The FM statement clarified that Moscow will be assessing the limitations resulting from the New START nuclear treaty rather than immediately rendering it null.

"Russia intends to adhere to a responsible approach and will continue to strictly comply with the quantitative restrictions on strategic offensive arms stipulated by it [New START] within the life cycle of the treaty," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The foreign ministry explained that this decision comes in response to the US' increasing hostility towards Russia, via Ukraine, which effectively violates the treaty.

The increasing military support granted to Kiev by the US has changed the conditions under which the treaty was signed by creating a fundamentally different security environment for Russia, the statement added.

The foreign ministry also claimed that the US had violated the central provisions of the treaty accusing Washington of semantically hijacking the treaty by renaming strategic offensive weapons so they no longer fall under the provisions of the treaty.

The statement also added that the decision isn't final however reversing it would be conditioned upon a positive change in Washington's attitudes.

The bilateral treaty signed back in 2010 effectively serves as a treaty for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons between the two major powers under a set of conditions that ensure the safety of both parties.

In his state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that Russia is suspending its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

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, said Putin.

He also described NATO's demand that Russia returns to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which includes providing access to nuclear sites for inspections, as "absurd".