Washington on Tuesday denounced Moscow’s non – compliance with respect to the New Start treaty and calls out the latter for “disallowing inspection activities” on its territory.
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The United States accused Russia of violating the New START Treaty, the final major pillar of post – cold war nuclear arms control between both countries, saying Moscow has refused to conduct inspection activities on its soil.
Russia and the United States reportedly account for about 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads. The Biden administration is eager to maintain the New START treaty even though the bilateral relations are the worst in decades since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has complicated Washington’s efforts to maintain and extend the agreement.
A US State Department spokesperson commented via email and said, “Russia’s refusal to inspection averts the US from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S – Russian nuclear arms control.”
New START Treaty
The new START treaty stands for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which was ratified between the United States and Russia in 2010. It entails a series of measures for the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. After being implemented in 2011, it was further extended in 2021 for an additional period of five years till February 4, 2026. It sets limits to the number of strategic nuclear warheads that can be deployed by the United States and Russia and the deployment of land – and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them.
Under this treaty, mechanisms for implementation and verification of the limits on nuclear arms have been provided, and transparency is ensured via biannual data exchange, the exchange of telemetric information, on-site inspection activities and the functioning of the Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC). Each party is required to exchange information on new missiles, and their locations and advance notice of major strategic exercises.
Russia’s Stance on New START
Moscow said it is still committed to complying with the provisions of the New Start Treaty. According to a statement given by the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov he stated: “arms control cannot be isolated from geopolitical realities”. He also added that it appeared to be an inappropriate time to invite the U.S. military to its strategic facilities, given the current situation.
Antonov reiterated that Russia would nevertheless stick to the other terms and limitations of the New START treaty.
However, its earlier actions regarding the on-site inspections have cast doubt on its compliance with the treaty. In August 2022, Moscow suspended cooperation with on-site inspections under the treaty and held the US and its allies responsible for imposing travel restrictions after Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine began. Similarly, in November 2022 the talks on the resumption of inspections were to take place in Egypt, but Russia postponed them and blamed the United States for “animosity and toxicity.” The possibility of resuming the inspections seems distant, as neither of the countries has decided on any new date for talks.
On Monday, Russia indicated the possibility of ending the treaty. It blamed Washington’s attempts at causing the strategic defeat of Russia in Ukraine and cited it as a reason for an end to the treaty. It said that the treaty could expire, with no replacement or extension. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov answered a question about whether there being no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026 and said “it is quite a possible scenario.”
The new START treaty is significant for both national and international order, as it is concerned with the national security interests of the United States and sets limits on the arms of the world’s two most nuclear powerful countries. Amid many nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the influx of arms in the Russia – Ukraine conflict, further heightening the tensions, this treaty acts as a much-needed check on the limitation of strategic arms.
