Russia said on Wednesday that its decision to suspend its participation in the “New START” nuclear arms control treaty with the United States “does not increase the risk of a nuclear war.”
The Interfax news agency quoted Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister, as saying: “I do not think that the decision to suspend participation in the New START Treaty brings us closer to a nuclear war.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty, the last remaining agreement with the United States to control nuclear weapons, in a sharp escalation of tensions with Washington since the Ukraine war.
In his state of the nation address, Putin also said Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the United States does, a move that would end the global ban on nuclear weapons tests that has been in place since the days of the Cold War.
In explaining his decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, Putin accused Washington and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of openly declaring the goal of defeating Russia in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of Parliament) unanimously approved the passage of a bill to suspend work with New Start.
Commenting on this move, US President Joe Biden said, on Wednesday, that Russia’s suspension of the “New START” nuclear treaty is a serious mistake.
