War in Ukraine: Russia suspends its participation in the New Start agreement on nuclear disarmament

Vladimir Putin announced during his annual address to the nation, Tuesday, February 21, that Russia was suspending its participation in the New Start agreement on nuclear disarmament. Moscow also threatened to carry out new nuclear tests if the United States carry out any. Signed in 2010, this agreement limits the arsenals of the two countries to a maximum of 1,550 warheads deployed on either side, a reduction of almost 30% compared to the previous limit set in 2002.

The New Start treaty is the last bilateral agreement of its kind binding the two powers. Russia had already announced at the beginning of August to suspend the American inspections planned on its military sites within the framework of the agreement, ensuring to act in response to American obstacles to Russian inspections in the United States.“They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us, attack our nuclear sites, which is why I am obliged to announce that Russia is suspending its participation in the treaty”, declared the Russian president in a river speech strongly hostile to Westerners. “I am sorry” this decision, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a few hours later.

Vladimir Putin also called on the Russian authorities to stand “ready for nuclear weapons testing” if Washington did it first. “No one should feed on illusions, strategic parity could be altered”, he hammered. He further qualified as “theater of the absurd” the fact that NATO demanded that Russia apply New Start and authorize “access to inspections of military nuclear sites” Russians.