Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced Russia is suspending its participation in the last remaining major nuclear-arms-control treaty or the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START with the United States.

Putin made the declaration in his much-delayed annual state of the nation address to Russia's National Assembly on Tuesday alleging the United States was turning the war into a global conflict.

“I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty,” the Russian President stated.

The Russian foreign ministry further said, it blames the US for their decision accusing Washington of being non-compliance with its provisions and trying to undermine Russia’s national security.

"There is every reason to state that U.S. policy is aimed at undermining Russia's national security, which directly contradicts the fundamental principles and understandings enshrined in the preamble of the treaty," it said.

So what is the NEW START TREATY?

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or New START was signed back in 2010 by then-U.S. president Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the treaty restricts the number of strategic nuclear warheads that both the countries can deploy.

The treaty came into force in the very next year it was signed i.e., on February 5, 2011 and was extended for five more years in 2021 after U.S. President Joe Biden took office. The treaty further allows both the countries’ inspectors to ensure both sides are complying with the treaty.

Under the agreement, both the countries are limited to deploy not more than 1550 strategic nuclear warheads and 700 long-range missiles such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.

The treaty provides 18 on-site inspections of strategic nuclear weapons per year for U.S and Russian inspection teams to ensure one of the two has not breached the treaty’s limits. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the inspections have been halted since 2020.

According to the President’s speech, Russia is not withdrawing from the pact but suspending their participation.

He said that the US wants to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and is trying to get their nuclear facilities.

According to a senior defence official, Russia will abide to the agreed limits on nuclear missiles and also keep informing the US about its deployments.

President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin’s decision is a big mistake and very responsible. While Nato and other nuclear powers Britain and France criticised Putin’s decision.

Source- Reuters