State Duma committee recommends to suspend Russia’s participation to New START treaty

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs early Wednesday recommended that the lower house adopt a bill to suspend Moscow’s participation in the New START nuclear treaty.

"The Committee on International Affairs unanimously recommended the adoption of a bill on the suspension of the New START. It is proposed to submit the issue for consideration at today's plenary session," the committee’s head Leonid Slutsky told Russian state news agency TASS.

The recommendation by the committee follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision on Tuesday to suspend his country’s participation in the treaty, which was the only remaining arms control treaty Moscow had with Washington.

Putin said, in an address to the Russian parliament, also known as the Federal Assembly, that the New START treaty was signed in a fundamentally different political reality and no longer reflects the situation.

Putin also noted that he is aware of plans by the US to test new nuclear weapons and instructed the Russian Defense Ministry to prepare to test Russian nukes in response.

Signed in 2010 and extended in 2021 for another five years, the New START treaty aims to control and reduce strategic nuclear forces used by the US and Russia.​​​​​​​