Vladimir Putin has called the situation in Ukraine “extremely complicated”. Video / The Guardian
In a typically bitter speech in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the country will suspend its participation in the last remaining treaty which limits the size of its nuclear weapons arsenal.
Putin also said Russia could restart testing nuclear weapons – but only if the US did the same.
The move, which it’s feared could reignite a Cold War-style nuclear arms race and see mushroom clouds once more appear at remote tests sites, has been called “dangerous” by Nato and criticised by the US and European Union.
Putin announced the latest nuclear threat in his state of the union address in Moscow on Tuesday morning local time. While he also talked about domestic matters, such as the economy and infrastructure, much of the speech was taken up by the war in Ukraine.
He blamed the West for Russia embarking on its so-called “special ministry operation,” which this week reaches its one-year anniversary.
But the only notable military announcement in the two-hour-long speech was around nuclear arms and spurious claims the West wanted to control Russia’s nuclear bases.
“I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,” he told the crowd, which included Russia’s political elite.
“They want to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on us and try to get to our nuclear facilities at the same time,” he added.
However, while Russia has suspended its involvement in what is known a New Start, Putin said it had not withdrawn from the treaty which remains in force until February 2026.
What is New START?
New Start, which has the less snappy official name of Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, was signed by then US President Barack Obama and then Russian President Dimity Medvedev on April 8, 2020, in Prague.
It is the only remaining nuclear weapons treaty in place as the others have expired.
The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty was suspended in 2019 after the Trump Administration accused Putin’s government of not being in compliance with its requirements.
New Start has two main requirements. First, it limits Russia and the US to around 1500 deployed nuclear warheads each. This is far below the peak of either side’s nuclear arsenals in the 1980s.
Each nation possesses more weapons than 1500 each, but the remainder are either in stockpiles or out of use.
Second, New Start allows inspections of each other’s nuclear facilities several times a year.
The arms control aims of the treaty have been met. But the treaty has been shaky for some time.
President Barack Obama, left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New Start treaty at the Prague Castle in Prague on April 8, 2010. Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended the country's involvement in the treaty. Photo / AP file
The Covid-19 pandemic saw inspections of weapons facilities suspended and they haven’t resumed since.
Russia has refused to allow US officials back to its sites which Washington said in January meant Moscow was failing in its New Start obligations.
“Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of US-Russian nuclear arms control,” a State Department spokesman said last month.
But in his speech on Tuesday, Putin accused the US of helping Ukraine attack Russian bases that housed nuclear-capable bombers.
“The drones used for it were equipped and modernised with Nato’s expert assistance,” he said.
“And now they want to inspect our defence facilities? In the conditions of today’s confrontation, it sounds like sheer nonsense.”
In November, Russia postponed talks that had been due to take place in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss the resumption of inspection of nuclear facilities. No reason was given.
“But if the United States conducts tests, then we will. No one should have dangerous illusions that global strategic parity can be destroyed.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he gives his annual state of the nation address in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday. Photo / via AP
He added that a week ago he had signed a decree to put new ground-based missiles on “combat duty”.
“Are they going to stick their nose in there too, or what? And they think that everything is so simple?
“What, are we going to let them in there just like that?”
If Russia and the US do not sign a new arms reduction treaty in the next four years then there will be nothing stopping either nation from ramping up their nuclear arsenals.
While nine nations are known to possess nuclear weapons – including India, Pakistan, the UK, France, Israel, China and North Korea – almost 90 per cent of the world’s warheads are owned by the US or Russia.
Speaking in Greece, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia’s New Start suspension was “unfortunate and irresponsible”.
“We’ll be watching carefully to see what Russia actually does. We’ll of course make sure that in any event, we are postured appropriately for the security of our own country and that of our allies”.
Blinken added, however, that the US would be open to restarting arms reduction negotiations, “at any time,” regardless of clashes elsewhere between the two superpowers.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the Nato military alliance said the world was now a more “dangerous” place.
“Over the last years, Russia has violated and walked away from key arms control agreements. With today’s decision on New Start the whole arms control architecture has been dismantled.
“More nuclear weapons and less arms control makes the world more dangerous,” he said after Putin’s speech.
