Both houses of the Russian parliament passed a bill on February 22nd to suspend the implementation of the "New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty" (New START) with the United States. The move came after President Putin announced his intention to suspend the treaty's obligations, rather than withdraw from it. The New START is the last remaining agreement for reducing nuclear weapons between the two countries, but there are concerns that it may become a mere formality before the 2026 deadline.
On February 21st, during his annual report speech, President Putin accused the United States of rejecting Russian inspection teams into its nuclear facilities and announced his intention to suspend the performance obligations of the New START treaty. He also claimed that the US was preparing for a nuclear test and warned that Russia would follow suit if the US conducted one.
Following the vote on the bill, the Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Slutsky, criticized the West for intentionally undermining relations with Russia and stated that the old ways of responding are no longer feasible. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Speaker, Mr. Wolozin, expressed his support for the Putin administration and stated that the bill would enhance the country's security.
It is apparent that the government had influenced the Russian parliament, resulting in the expected approval of the bill.
The New START treaty, which came into force in 2011, places limits on the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and the total number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and other launchers and delivery vehicles. In 2018, the US and Russia achieved their limit targets, and in February 2021, they agreed to automatically extend the agreement for another five years, ahead of the first deadline.
With the next New START deadline set for February 2026, both countries agreed to begin discussions on a successor framework in July 2021.
In recent years, US-Russia relations have deteriorated, resulting in the dismantling of various strategic weapons reduction and inspection frameworks. In 2019, the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987, leading to its expiration. The administration also decided to withdraw from the "Open Skies Treaty" in 2020, which allows parties to conduct inspections from above.
Additionally, Ukraine has been directly affected by Russia's invasion, and discussions regarding a successor framework to the New START have been put on hold. In November 2010, inspections based on the New START were scheduled, but the Russian side objected to the US attitude towards Russia and announced their intention to boycott the meeting just before it was set to take place.
In 2011, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ryabkov, who oversees strategic weapons issues at the Ministry, was interviewed by a Russian news agency and was asked about the possibility of not being able to reach a successor treaty to New START. He responded that it was "quite possible". He criticized the US attitude in recent years, accusing them of having a "selfish desire to deliberately break the most important link, including the entire arms control framework."
Against this backdrop, President Putin's recent remarks and the Russian parliament's actions indicate an intent to withdraw from the framework of strategic arms reduction, while also criticizing the United States.
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