Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov said on February 27 local time that Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is the only correct decision under the current situation. Washington has seriously violated the main provisions of the New START Treaty for many years.
The Press Office of the Russian Embassy in the United States quoted Antonov as saying: “Our decision to suspend participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is the only correct decision in the current complicated situation. However, we will continue to abide by the quantitative restrictions stipulated in the treaty. In order to restore the full operation of the agreement, the United States must create the conditions to reconsider its aggressive anti-Russian policy.”
Antonov pointed out: “So far, we have seen the opposite: the United States is not ready to make even symbolic positive gestures. For example, why did Washington not lift the ban on Russian-American representatives at the Arlington Cemetery in the first place?” A traditional annual ceremony commemorating April 25, 1945, when Soviet and American troops met on the Elbe River. At that time, our two countries stood shoulder to shoulder to save humanity from Nazism. This is what I recommend that local officials think positively, Not how to get into our nuclear facilities faster.”
Ambassador Antonov also said: “It is an indisputable fact that for many years, Washington has seriously violated the core provisions of the New START Treaty. Mission’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers. Over 100 of these were illegally excluded from the New START count. Our inspectors were never given the opportunity to verify the results of the modifications.”
He also pointed out that it is the fault of the United States that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) has not yet entered into force. “If the United States is a responsible nuclear power, it would have ratified the CTBT long ago. It is Washington’s fault that the treaty has not yet entered into force. Other countries are also watching the actions of the United States, the fate of the CTBT It also depends on these countries. If the (U.S.) government does not want to go through legal means to stop nuclear testing, why are they rushing to approve it?”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his state of the union address to the Federal Assembly on February 21 that Russia suspended its participation in the Russia-US New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty . He emphasized that Russia is not withdrawing from the treaty. He pointed out that, first of all, returning to the discussion, “we should figure out what countries like France and the United Kingdom want, and how we will consider their strategic arsenal, that is, the total strike potential of NATO.” Biden called Russia’s decision ” major error”.
The US-Russia Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms was signed in Prague (Czech Republic) on April 8, 2010. It replaced the 1991 Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty and, when it entered into force, the 2002 Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty. On February 3, 2021, Moscow and Washington exchanged notes on the completion of the internal procedures required for the entry into force of the five-year agreement on the extension of the treaty.
Sputniknews
Tags：United States, New START
