LONDON: Russia told the United States on Monday that the last remaining pillar of bilateral nuclear arms control could end in 2026 without a replacement because of what it said were American efforts to “strategically defeat” Moscow in Ukraine.
Both Russia and the United States still possess vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons that are currently partially limited by the 2011 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which was extended in 2021 to 2026.
What will happen after February 4, 2026, however, remains unclear, although Washington has indicated that it wants to reach a follow-on agreement with Russia.
Asked whether Moscow could envisage no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told JEE News: “This is quite a possible scenario.”
Ryabkov, Russia’s top arms control diplomat, said the United States had ignored Russia’s interests in recent years and dismantled much of the arms control architecture.
“New Start may suffer,” Ryabkov told JEE News. “We are prepared for such a scenario.”
His remarks are a warning to Washington that its continued military support for Ukraine could destroy the last major post-Cold War arms control treaty with Russia.
The United States has provided more than $27 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24, including more than 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, 8,500 Javelin anti-tank missile systems and 1 million 155 million missiles. Meter artillery included.
“The entire security situation, including arms control, is being held hostage by the US line of strategic defeat of Russia,” Ryabkov said.
“We will resist it in the strongest possible way using all methods and means at our disposal.”
Nuclear Controls
US-Russia talks on resuming inspections under the New START treaty were canceled at the last minute in November 2022. The parties did not agree on a timeframe for new talks.
Russia and the United States, bound by arms control treaties during the Cold War, still share about 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads.
The United States said in its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that Russia and China are expanding and modernizing their nuclear forces, and that Washington is pursuing an arms control approach to prevent a costly arms race. Will adopt.
The New START agreement limited both sides to 1,550 warheads on deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers. Both sides met central limits by 2018.
According to JEE News, “expiring the treaty without a follow-on agreement would leave Russia free to expand strategic nuclear forces that are now limited, as well as new intercontinental range and territorial systems that per are not currently contractually restricted,” according to JEE News.
“Russia is pursuing several new nuclear capability systems designed to put America’s homeland or allies and partners at risk, some of which are not even accountable under New START.”
