“We fear that Russia has fulfilled its legally binding obligations under the New START Treaty,” the NATO ambassadors said in a statement. The U. S. -led 30-nation military alliance supports the treaty and believes it is helping to restrict the expansion of nuclear forces.
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The envoys said Russia’s refusal to conduct consultations or allow U. S. inspections since last August “prevents the United States from exercising rights under the treaty and undermines the United States’ ability to properly determine Russia’s compliance with the fundamental limits of the treaty. “
“We call on Russia to fulfill its obligations under the treaty by facilitating New START inspections on Russian territory and re-participating in the treaty’s implementation body,” the forum in which the two sides can simply consult, NATO said.
President Vladimir Putin has continuously stepped up his nuclear rhetoric since ordering Russian troops into Ukraine just a year ago, raising questions among Western allies and the public about whether he might use such weapons.
The U. S. -Russia committee formed under the treaty last met in October 2021, but Russia unilaterally suspended cooperation with the pact’s inspection provisions in August 2022 to protest against the U. S. over Ukraine.
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Inspections of the US and Russian New START military sites were halted on both sides due to the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020.
The U. S. Department of State The U. S. warned Tuesday that “Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of nuclear arms control between the United States and Russia. “