Russia announced on Monday that it was suspending planned US inspections of its military sites under the New Start treaty, a key nuclear disarmament agreement between the two powers, assuring it was acting in response to US obstacles to similar Russian inspections in the United States.
Russia "
officially informed
" the United States on Monday that all of its sites subject to inspections under the New Start treaty would be "
temporarily exempt
", Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
These include missile launch bases, as well as air and naval bases where nuclear missiles are deployed.
Read alsoGermany: Putin's blackmail revives the debate on the atom
This announcement comes in the midst of a Russian offensive in Ukraine, underway since February 24, and while Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to praise the new "
invincible
" weapons developed by Russia.
"
The Russian Federation is compelled to resort to this measure (...) due to the existing realities that create unilateral advantages for the United States and deprive Russia of its right to carry out inspections on American territory
", states the press release.
Russian diplomacy cites in particular the obstacles to the travel of Russian inspectors and the difficulties linked to the issuance of visas, caused by the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow because of the Ukrainian conflict.
"
American inspectors and the crew members of their planes do not have similar difficulties
," the statement said.
A “single role” treaty
However, Russia “
greatly appreciates the unique role
” of the treaty in relations between Moscow and Washington in the nuclear field, he underlines.
Once the problems related to the resumption of inspections under the treaty have been resolved, Russia will "
immediately
" reverse its decision announced on Monday, says Russian diplomacy.
The United States refrained from criticizing this announcement.
Washington respects the New Start treaty "
but we keep the discussions between the parties relating to the application of the treaty confidential
," a spokesman for the State Department told AFP.
"
Principles of mutual reciprocity, predictability and stability will continue to guide the United States
' approach," he added.
Read also“Russia uses the strategy of terrorist attacks to demoralize the Ukrainians”
The New Start treaty is the latest bilateral agreement of its kind linking the world's two main nuclear powers.
Signed in 2010, it limits the arsenals of the two countries to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads each, a reduction of almost 30% compared to the previous limit set in 2002. It also limits the number of launchers and heavy bombers to 800 , which is still enough to destroy the Earth multiple times.
In January 2021, Vladimir Putin extended it for five years, until 2026. Until now, Moscow and Washington each had the right to carry out a little less than twenty mutual inspections per year within the framework of this treaty.