MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow is postponing its participation in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the United States, sharply raising the stakes amid tensions with Washington over fighting in Ukraine. Speaking in his State of the Union address, Putin also said Russia deserves to be in a position to resume nuclear weapons testing if the United States does, a move that would end the global ban on nuclear weapons testing that has been in place since the Cold War era. .
Explaining his resolve to suspend Russia’s obligations in New START, Putin accused the United States and its NATO allies of blatantly pointing to the purpose of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.
“They want to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on us and at the same time try to win our nuclear services,” he said.
Putin argued that while the United States has pushed for the resumption of inspections of Russian nuclear facilities under the treaty, NATO allies have helped Ukraine mount drone strikes against nuclear-capable strategic bombers at Russian air bases.
“The drones used for this were supplied and modernized with the assistance of NATO experts,” Putin said. “And now they need our defense facilities? In today’s confrontational situations, that seems like sheer nonsense. “
Putin under pressure that Russia postpone its participation in New START and not yet completely abandon the pact.
Putin’s announcement prompted a complaint from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called it “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible. “
“We will watch conscientiously to see what Russia is really doing,” he told reporters traveling with him in Greece. “Of course, we will make sure that, in all cases, we are located for the security of our own country and that of our allies. “
The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by U. S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits the country to a maximum of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement provides for extensive on-site inspections to determine compliance.
Just days before the treaty expires in February 2021, Russia and the United States agreed to extend it for five years.
Amid tense talks about the treaty just two years ago, the U. S. chief negotiator has been a major negotiator. The U. S. Department of Commerce told CBS News’ Pamela Falk at the United Nations that the U. S. is not yet in the U. S. “U. S. ” it will allow Russia and China to continue” to amass their arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Russia and the United States have suspended mutual inspections under New START since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Moscow refused last fall to allow them to resume, increasing uncertainty about the future of the pact. Russia also postponed indefinitely a series of consultations under the treaty.
These measures led the United States to accuse Russia of non-compliance with the pact since January.