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Nuclear submarine »Ekaterinburg« (2006)
Photo: Lev Fedoseyev/ dpa
Russia is temporarily suspending controls on nuclear weapons arsenals as part of the New Start agreement with the United States.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the contract would continue to be adhered to.
Under the current conditions, Russia cannot carry out the planned controls on US territory.
Therefore, resuming US inspections on Russian territory would give the Americans an advantage, the statement said.
The mutual controls are provided for in the disarmament treaty New Start.
It is the only remaining major arms control agreement between the US and Russia.
The treaty limits the nuclear arsenals of both countries to 800 delivery systems and 1,550 operational warheads each.
In February 2021, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to extend New Start until 2026.
The inspections have been suspended since March 2020 due to the corona pandemic.
The State Department noted that Russia is currently unable to fly inspectors to the United States because of sanctions on its planes.
Their safety is also not given due to the continued high number of corona infections in the USA.
The measures are only temporary, it was confirmed.
Russia continues to see the treaty as an “important instrument for maintaining international security and stability”.
Beyond the details of the inspections, the US and Russia disagree on the future of nuclear arms control.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov complained that Washington had not yet offered any new talks.
Biden said his administration is ready to negotiate.
However, Russia's war against Ukraine represents an attack on the cornerstones of the international order.
sak/dpa/Reuters