Russia suspends treaty with U.S. that reduced and limited nuclear weapons deployment

Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that he was suspending his participation in the New START agreement that does not allow the proliferation of nuclear weapons, one of the most recent agreements between the United States and Russia.

The Russian president assured that he would not leave the treaty completely, and that it would be in force until February 4, 2026; however, he added that he would not allow NATO members to review their nuclear arsenal.

Putin also assured that NATO countries are helping Ukraine to carry out air strikes on strategically important Russian air bases.

The treaty

The U.S. and Russia first signed the treaty in 2010, which involved Barack Obama and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who placed verifiable limits on the number of missiles and nuclear warheads in each country.

“Our relations have degraded and that is totally and absolutely the fault of the United States,” Putin said.

“If the United States conducts tests, so will we. No one should have any illusions that global strategic parity can be destroyed”

In recent years, agreements for the non-proliferation of intermediate-range nuclear forces, or INF, have also been cancelled.