By Gauri Patel
Staff Writer
On Feb. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his state of the nation address that Moscow is suspending participation in New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the United States, according to Reuters.
Putin cited the U.S.’ support for Ukraine and the accusation that the U.S. and NATO are supposedly working for Russia’s destruction as the reason behind the announcement, according to AP.
However, hours after Putin’s address, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia would respect the limits on nuclear weapons, despite its suspension of participation in the act.
In a statement, they also said that the decision to suspend participation in “reversible” saying, “Washington must show political will, make conscientious efforts for a general de-escalation and create conditions for the resumption of the full functioning of the Treaty.”
According to The Guardian, the New START treaty is an agreement between the U.S. and Russia, the world’s two largest nuclear powers, that limits the number of intercontinental-range nuclear weapons that both countries can produce and deploy. The two countries together hold 90% of the world's nuclear warheads.
The treaty was signed in Prague by then-presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. It came into force the following year and was extended for five more years in 2021 after President Joe Biden took office, according to The Guardian. Both countries would need to begin negotiations on a follow-up arms control agreement soon; however, an increase in tensions between the two countries one year into the conflict in Ukraine have hindered attempts at doing so.
According to CNN, under the treaty, both countries are permitted to conduct 18 inspections per year of each other’s arsenals to ensure compliance with obligations. According to U.S. officials, beginning in August 2022, Russia has refused inspections of its nuclear facilities on numerous occasions.
“Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
A session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission on the implementation concerns of the treaty was expected to take place last November in Cairo but was unilaterally postponed by Russia. A topic of discussion during this session would have been the nearly three-year-long pause in inspections due to the pandemic in addition to Russia’s suspension of cooperation with inspections in protest of the U.S.’ support of Ukraine, according to PBS.
Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv one day before Putin’s announcement where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in order to “reaffirm [the United States’] unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” as stated in a statement issued Monday. Biden also announced a new round of $500 million military aid for Ukraine, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems and air surveillance radars, according to Reuters.
Following the unprecedented visit to Kyiv, Biden met with NATO ally and Polish President Andrzej Duda in order to discuss preparations for scaling up Poland’s security as Poland’s border with Ukraine has been the main route in for weapons and out for refugees, according to Reuters.
Biden delivered a speech from the Royal Castle in Warsaw on the same day as Putin’s address in Moscow, during which he denounced Putin and reinforced the U.S. and NATO backing for Ukraine, according to CBS. Biden did not address Putin’s decision to suspend the New START treaty in the speech.
“One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv,” Biden said before a crowd of thousands. “I can report: Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall and, most important, it stands free.”
