Putin suspends nuclear pact with US; will promote war Ukraine

(Bloomberg Opinion) – President Vladimir Putin has said Russia will suspend its adherence to the New START treaty with the United States, a blow to the latest deal limiting its nuclear arsenals. Moreover, he promised to continue his invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is fighting for its “historic lands” in Ukraine and “will carry out the set tasks step by step, carefully and consistently,” Putin told the Russian parliament and senior officials in Moscow on Tuesday. Russia will not resume nuclear weapons testing following the New START pause, although it will resume in response to any US tests, he confirmed.

Russia’s suspension of the treaty is “deeply regrettable and irresponsible”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Athens. Putin’s move “makes the world more dangerous” and means the entire arms control infrastructure has been dismantled, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) told reporters in Brussels. , Jens Stoltenberg, urging Russia to reconsider.

El presidente estadounidense, Joe Biden, prorrogó el tratado nuclear cinco años hasta 2026 como una de sus primeras medidas cuando asumió el cargo en 2021 poco antes de que expirara, después de que Putin presionara su predecesor Donald Trump —sin éxito— para llegar a OK.

The extension of New START was in the security interests of both countries and “we are ready to discuss strategic arms limitations with Russia at any time, regardless of anything that happens, in the world or in our relationships,” Blinken said. .

For his part, Putin said the United States and its NATO allies “want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and break into our nuclear facilities” by demanding inspections under the treaty.

The State Department accused Russia last month of violating the terms of the treaty by refusing to allow inspectors into its territory and obstructing US efforts to resolve the problem. Russia dismissed criticism and blamed the United States, saying difficulties with New START were “a direct result of the Hybrid War unleashed by the West against our country.”

Russia’s suspension of New START means the United States could lose access to inspections and surveillance data on the number of Russian nuclear warheads deployed, as well as the land and sea vehicles used to deliver them. Some 200 inspectors from the Department of Defense, the intelligence community and the State Department are responsible for carrying out checks under the treaty, according to Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who led negotiations on the screening arms with Russia.

“What the Pentagon values ​​most about the treaty isn’t the numbers, it’s the transparency,” said Pifer, who is now a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Even after last year’s mutual accusations between Moscow and Washington, nuclear weapons data continued to circulate, according to Pifer. The United States receives about 2,000 notifications a year, informing security authorities of the status of Russian forces. The parties update and exchange bilateral data every six months.

Ukraine’s allies in the United States and Europe want to “transform a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation”, Putin said in a speech that was repeatedly punctuated by applause. “We understand that and we will react accordingly because in this case we are talking about the existence of our country.”

Having failed with its initial plans to seize the Ukrainian capital Kiev within days, the Russian army suffered repeated defeats and massive casualties at the hands of Ukrainian forces supported by American and European arms supplies.

Putin delivered his speech a day after Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv to highlight continued US support for Ukraine. The US president is due to deliver a speech in Poland later on Tuesday.

The head of the Kremlin prepares the country and its economy for a long war. He called up 300,000 troops in a partial mobilization in September and tried to convince the Russians that their unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an existential fight with the “collective West” for their country’s survival, comparing it several times to a victory for the Soviet Union. The Second World War.

Nota Original: Putin stops the nuclear pact with the United States and promises to push the war in Ukraine (2)

–With contributions from Courtney McBride and Jonathan Tirone.

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