Russia suspends participation in new START Treaty

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russia will halt its engagement in the New START Treaty, the final existing nuclear arms control agreement with the United States. The treaty, signed in 2010, sets limits on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems that each country can possess.

Putin recently announced the suspension of Russia’s compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) due to concerns about the United States’ compliance with the treaty. The INF Treaty, signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, bans the development, testing, and deployment of ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

Putin cited the US’s positioning of missile defense systems in Europe as a major concern for Russia, suggesting that these systems could be used to target Russian strategic forces. The Russian government has long held that the placement of missile defense systems in Europe is a violation of the INF Treaty, and they have called on the US to dismantle these systems.

The suspension of Russia’s compliance with the treaty is a significant escalation in tensions between Russia and the United States, and it raises concerns about the possibility of a new arms race.

This action by Russia is widely seen as a substantial blow to international arms control efforts, as the New START Treaty was the only existing agreement between the two nations after the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019. The treaty will expire on February 5, 2026, but can be extended for up to five years if mutually agreed upon by the US and Russia.

The announcement comes in the midst of growing tensions between the US and Russia on various issues, including cyber attacks, Ukraine, and the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Biden administration has expressed its commitment to arms control, but it is uncertain how it will react to Russia’s choice to halt its participation in the New START Treaty.