The United States said on Tuesday that Russia was not complying with New START, the last remaining arms control treaty between the world’s two major nuclear powers, as tensions over the Ukraine war escalate.
Responding to a request from Congress, the State Department blamed Russia for suspending inspections and calling off talks, but did not accuse its Cold War rival of expanding nuclear warheads beyond agreed limits.
“Russia is not fulfilling its obligation under the New START Treaty to facilitate inspection activities on its territory,” a State Department spokesman said, charging that Moscow’s refusal “threatens the viability of US-to-United States nuclear arms control.” and Russia”.
“Russia has a clear path to return to full compliance. All Russia needs to do is allow inspection activities on its territory, just as it did for years under the New START Treaty, and meet in a session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission. “, said. he said, referring to the formal talks established under the treaty.
“There is nothing preventing Russian inspectors from traveling to the United States and conducting inspections.”
Moscow announced in early August that it would suspend US inspections of its military sites under New START. He said he was responding to US obstruction of inspections by Russia, a charge denied by Washington.
Diplomacy between the two powers has been reduced to a minimum over the past year, as the United States leads a campaign to punish Russia economically and arm Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weapons as it fights off an invasion from Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, reviving Cold War-era fears of an apocalyptic war.
Russia indefinitely postponed talks under New START that were due to start on November 29 in Cairo, accusing the United States of “toxicity and animosity.”
– ‘Making the world safer’ –
President Joe Biden, shortly after taking office, extended New START by five years to 2026, allowing time for negotiation and preserving what the Democratic administration views as an important existing treaty.
The previous administration of Donald Trump had broken previous arms control agreements and hesitated to preserve New START in its current form, saying that any nuclear treaty must also include China, whose arsenal is growing rapidly but still significantly below that of Russia and the United States. USA.
The Biden administration indicated that it wanted to preserve New START, saying the treaty was meant to “make the world safer.”
“To fully deliver on the promise of the treaty by ensuring that it remains an instrument of stability and predictability, Russia must fully implement and honor its obligations,” the State Department spokesman said.
Republican lawmakers, who seized control of the House of Representatives in January, had asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to report on Tuesday whether Russia was violating New START.
In a letter last week, the Republican heads of the foreign affairs, armed services and intelligence committees said Russia’s actions and statements “at the very least raise serious compliance concerns.”
New START, signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010 when relations were warmest, restricted Russia and the United States to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads each, a nearly 30 percent reduction from the previous limit set. in 2002.
It also limits the number of launchers and heavy bombers to 800, easy enough to destroy Earth.
