US says Russia in noncompliance with key nuclear arms accord

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Russia is in noncompliance with a key nuclear arms treaty that seeks to rein in Moscow and Washington's intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, the Biden administration said on Tuesday.

The New START Treaty is the only remaining international pact limiting the nations' nuclear arsenals, which are the largest in the world. But the State Department said the Kremlin has prevented critical activities allowed by the pact from being conducted, including bilateral arms inspections.

"Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control," a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu.

The department also pointed to Russia's decision in November to unilaterally postpone the meeting of the New START Treaty’s Bilateral Consultative Commission. Moscow called the talks off one day before they were to be held in Cairo, Egypt amid bilateral tensions over Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine and US support for Kyiv's counteroffensive.

Those tensions have only escalated in the time since, and no alternative dates have yet been put forth by Moscow.

"Russia has a clear path for returning to full compliance. All Russia needs to do is allow inspection activities on its territory, just as it did for years under the New START Treaty, and meet in a session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission," the department said. "There is nothing preventing Russian inspectors from traveling to the United States and conducting inspections."

The US "remains ready to work constructively with Russia to fully implement the New START Treaty," it added.

The New START agreement, signed in 2010, limits the number of Russian and US deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a maximum of 1,550. The agreement also limited the number of launchers and nuclear-capable heavy bombers to 800.

Shortly after US President Joe Biden took the office in January 2021, the two countries extended the agreement to 2026.​​​​​​​