United States: The United States will stop providing Russia with some notifications required under the New START nuclear arms control treaty, including updates on missile and launcher locations, in what Washington describes as a retaliatory “countermeasure” due to Moscow’s “violations” of the accord.
The US State Department stated that it had ceased providing the status and locations of its nuclear missiles and launchers but would continue to provide notification of the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
According to a State Department fact sheet, Russian inspection activities on US territory have ceased, and visas issued and pending for Russian New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) inspectors and their aircrews, as well as diplomatic clearance for Russian inspection aircraft, have been revoked.
The US will also not provide telemetric information to Russia on the launch of US intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Such data involves information that originates during a missile’s test flights, and under the treaty, both Moscow and Washington were to exchange such information annually.
“The United States has adopted lawful countermeasures in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing violations of the New START treaty. The Russian Federation’s purported suspension of the New START treaty is legally invalid,” the State Department noted in the fact sheet.
“The United States notified Russia of the countermeasures in advance and conveyed the United States’ desire and readiness to reverse the countermeasures and fully implement the treaty if Russia returns to compliance,” the Department added.
The New START agreement, signed in 2010 and set to expire in 2026, imposes restrictions on the deployment of strategic nuclear warheads by participating countries. Under this treaty, the United States and Russia are limited to a maximum of 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and 700 land- and submarine-based missiles, as well as bombers for their delivery.
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