Russian Duma agrees to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty
The State Duma and the Federation Council of Russia agreed on Wednesday to suspend Moscow’s participation in the Russian-US New START treaty on nuclear arms control, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this decision that drew condemnation from the West.
Russian Duma, first unanimously approved the suspension, before it was followed hours later by members of the Federation Council.
However, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had indicated on Tuesday that Moscow would continue to respect the restrictions of its nuclear arsenal despite the suspension of its participation in the New START until the actual end of the treaty on February 5, 2026.
Russia also confirmed that its decision is reversible, but that Washington must show good faith to stop the global escalation.
This treaty, which was signed in 2010, is the last bilateral agreement of its kind that binds the Russian and US powers.
At the beginning of August, Russia announced the suspension of the planned US inspections at its military sites within the framework of the agreement, stressing that this step came in response to US obstacles to Russian inspections in the United States.
On Tuesday, Russian president Vladimir Putin confirmed that the West wants to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia that is, to eliminate us completely, blaming Washington and its European allies for the responsibility for fueling the Ukrainian conflict and falling its victims.
The Russian Foreign Ministry linked the suspension of the treaty to the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine that began a year ago, with the alliance of the three NATO nuclear powers – the United States, France and the United Kingdom – in their opposition to Moscow and Washington’s development of systems capable of countering warheads.
