Russia said it would suspend US inspections of its nuclear weapons under a key treaty with the US because of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow told the United States on Monday it could no longer participate in inspections under the New Start Treaty, the last remaining major arms control agreement between the countries, the foreign ministry said in a statement .
He blamed bans on Russian planes from entering Western airspace and the difficulty of obtaining transit visas to third countries, making it difficult for his inspectors to travel to the US. Russia also claimed that the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the US meant that further visits would be dangerous to the health of its delegates.
Russia insisted it was committed to all provisions of the treaty, which it described as “extremely important” for global security. He said the suspensions were temporary and would be lifted “once the problematic issues are resolved.”
The development, however, casts doubt on the future of the treaty less than a week after US President Joe Biden suggested renewing it ahead of its 2026 expiry date.
New Start, signed in 2011, limits the number of nuclear warheads the US and Russia can use, as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and the heavy bombers used to deliver them.
Although President Vladimir Putin said last week that a nuclear war should never be fought, Russia claimed the US was not negotiating in good faith and blamed it for pulling out of stability talks strategic after the invasion of Ukraine.
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