The development of the situation with Russia’s suspension of participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) depends entirely on the United States. This was announced on February 22 by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
“Everything else depends on the US. It’s just everything, entirely, from what decisions they will make, what course they will pursue, ”he told reporters.
Ryabkov also did not rule out that the United States would withdraw from START after the suspension of Russia’s participation and recalled that the Americans had withdrawn from treaties before. However, he emphasized, it is not easy to predict their further steps.
The diplomat noted that only the President of Russia will determine the conditions for revising or clarifying the decision to suspend participation in START. Also in his competence is the issue of taking additional countermeasures. To date, the exchange of information with the United States has been suspended, Ryabkov said.
“It’s all suspended. All information exchanges, all elements of the contract relating to verification activities will not work for us, given the announcement of the suspension and the expected legalization, ”he added.
On the eve of the message to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of participation in the START. He stressed that this is precisely the suspension, and not the withdrawal from the treaty. At the same time, the head of state said that before returning to the discussion of START, the country must understand how to take into account the nuclear arsenals of France and Great Britain.
Then the Russian leader submitted such a law to the State Duma. According to State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, the draft law will be considered on Wednesday, February 22, at a plenary session. A decision will be made on it without delay, and immediately after that the project will be sent to the Federation Council.
In turn, the head of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, Grigory Karasin, also said that the upper house of parliament is ready to consider a law on suspending the participation of the Russian Federation in the START Treaty, if the relevant bill comes from the State Duma.
The agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States on measures to reduce and limit strategic offensive arms was signed on April 8, 2010 in Prague. The document replaced the 1991 START Treaty. Upon entry into force, it also replaced the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.
This START agreement was worked out on a parity basis in accordance with the principle of equal and indivisible security and provided for real, verifiable and irreversible reductions in strategic offensive arms.
