AMN / WEB DESK
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced that Moscow was suspending its participation in a major arms control agreement with the United States. The New Start treaty is the last remaining nuclear arms deal between Moscow and Washington, and it was extended for five years in 2021. The New START treaty was signed in Prague in 2010 and came into force the following year. It caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and limits the use of missiles that can carry atomic weapons.
Speaking in his State of the Nation address, President Putin stressed that Russia was not fully withdrawing from the treaty yet. He said, Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the United States does so, a move that would end a global ban on nuclear weapons tests in place since Cold War times. Mr Putin has addressed the Nation, as the first anniversary of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine approaches on Friday. President Putin also spoke at length about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He blamed the West for escalating the tension in the region, saying the US and its allies sought limitless power.
Meanwhile, later on, Tuesday US President Joe Biden will give a speech in Poland after yesterday’s high-stakes visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. President Biden will hold talks with Poland President Andrzej Duda at the presidential palace in Warsaw before making the speech.
During his visit to Ukraine, which was organised in strict secrecy, President Biden promised Ukraine 500 million dollars in fresh arms and unwavering American support.