Russia Not Building Up Its Nuclear Arsenal, Fulfills New START Treaty Terms

Russia is not building up its arsenal of strategic offensive weapons, at least as long as the New START (New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) remains in effect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.

"We are not building up our arsenal. This is once again confirmed by our official representatives. The strategic offensive arms treaty between Russia and the United States is in effect until 2026, where the corresponding levels are fixed. We are guided by them, at least while this treaty is in effect. We suspended our participation in it, but said that we will comply with the levels and exchange certain types of information with the Americans," Lavrov said at a press conference after his address to the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

On February 21, 2023, during his address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was suspending its participation in the Russian-American New START Treaty, emphasizing that the country was not withdrawing from the agreement. He noted that before returning to discussions, it was essential to understand the intentions of countries like France and the United Kingdom and how their strategic arsenals, meaning the combined strike potential of NATO, should be accounted for. An official note on Russia's suspension from the treaty was delivered to the US on February 28.

In early June 2023, as a countermeasure within the framework of New START, Washington announced that it would cease providing Russia with information on the status and location of its strategic weapons covered by the treaty. The US also revoked visas granted to Russian specialists for conducting inspections under the treaty and announced it would not issue new ones. In addition, the US stated it would stop providing Russia with telemetry data related to the launches of American intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Russia's return to compliance with New START would only be possible if the U.S. abandoned its hostile stance towards Moscow. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov emphasized that dialogue on strategic arms control with the US was impossible as long as Washington maintained its anti-Russian policies.

28Sep24

Russia Not Building Up Its Nuclear Arsenal, Fulfills New START Treaty Terms - Lavrov

[Source: Sputnik, United Nations, 28Sep24]

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