The United States on Tuesday accused Russia of violating key nuclear arms control agreements, denied on-site inspections and refused a meeting to discuss such concerns.
“Russia has not complied with its obligations under the New START Treaty to facilitate inspection activities on its territory,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill. “Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control.”
The spokesperson added that Russia had also failed to comply with the treaty’s “obligation to convene a session of the bilateral consultative committee according to the timeline mandated by the treaty.”
The announcement of the breach, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is likely to heighten tensions between Washington and Moscow already tense over the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons multiple times since the conflict began almost a year ago, alarming the United States and its allies.
The new START, established under the Obama administration in 2011, determines the number of nuclear warheads that both the United States and Russia can deploy at any given time.
Russian parliamentarian Passed January 2021 The treaty with the United States will be extended for five years just before the nuclear disarmament pact expires, but there are concerns that the Kremlin will refuse to enter into force any subsequent pacts after New START expires in 2026.
The last major nuclear weapons agreement since the Cold War, the treaty also allows the two countries to inspect each other’s weapons facilities. Such inspections have been postponed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the US has accused Russia of delaying a bilateral consultative committee on the treaty. That meeting he had scheduled for November in Egypt was canceled at the last minute.
The State Department findings, revealed in a report submitted to Congress on Tuesday, are the first time Washington has accused Moscow of violating the deal.
“Russia has a clear path back to full compliance. “There is nothing to prevent Russian inspectors from traveling to the United States to conduct inspections,” a State Department spokesperson said. rice field.
Following their report to Congress, Republican lawmakers condemned Russia’s breach and warned that the breach would have serious implications for global security. requested the government.
“Russia must be held accountable for its actions if the New START Treaty or any future treaty has any implications. ) said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) and Rep. Doug Lambourn (R-Colorado).
“We urge President Biden to direct the Pentagon to prepare for the future when Russia may deploy a large number of warheads well beyond New START limits,” they added.
