Russia stops sending nuclear arms info to US under faltering New START treaty

New Delhi: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday said that Moscow has stopped sharing detailed information on its nuclear weapons with the US as outlined in the New START treaty, even as Russia’s military began drills with its Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers in Siberia.

According to an Aljazeera report, citing Russian news agencies, Ryabkov said Moscow had halted all information exchanges with Washington after suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty.

Last month, President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the treaty, saying Moscow could not accept US inspections of its nuclear sites under the agreement when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

“There will be no notifications at all,” said Ryabkov when asked if Moscow would also stop issuing notices about planned missile tests.

“All notifications, all kinds of notifications, all activities within the framework of the treaty will be suspended and will not be conducted regardless of what position the US may take,” he added.

US stops sharing nuke data

The US had on Tuesday said that it would cease providing Moscow with detailed data on its nuclear weapons stockpiles in response to Russia’s suspension of participation in New START.

“Russia has not been in full compliance and refused to share data which we … agreed in New START to share biannually,” Al Jazeera quoted John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesperson, as saying.

“Since they have refused to be in compliance … we have decided to likewise not share that data,” he added.

Speculation that Ryabkov’s comments on Wednesday might also refer to Russia’s suspension of information on ballistic missile launches – a hugely provocative move – under the 1988 agreement was quickly discounted.

Pavel Podvig, an expert on Russian nuclear forces, tweeted that Ryabkov’s reference to the termination of notices in the context of New START indicated that Russia will keep issuing them in conformity with the 1988 pact.

‘Russia’s refusal to comply legally invalid’

The White House, which has previously accused Russia of multiple violations of the treaty, has said Russia’s refusal to comply is “legally invalid” and the decision to withhold the nuclear data is yet another violation.

Despite being extended shortly after President Joe Biden took office in January, 2021, New START has been severely tested by Russia’s war in Ukraine and has been on life support for more than a month since Putin announced Russia would no longer comply with its requirements.

The treaty, which then-Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed in 2010, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.

The inspections have been dormant since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on resuming them were supposed to have taken place in November 2022, but Russia abruptly called them off, citing US support for Ukraine. In February, Russia formally suspended it participation in the treaty.

With inputs from agencies

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