Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the suspension of the nuclear arms control agreement with the United States. He made the announcement in a speech on Tuesday (February 21) to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
In an address to the nation, Putin said, “I am forced to announce the suspension of the nuclear arms control agreement ‘New Start’ agreement.” As we have learned, Washington is considering re-testing nuclear weapons. For this, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Nuclear Corporation should prepare to conduct their own nuclear weapons tests. But we never run this test first. But if the United States conducts tests, Russia will not sit back.
Putin said, ‘The West is inciting a world war by destroying Russia. The U.S.-led Western military alliance NATO fueled the conflict in the mistaken belief that Moscow could be defeated in a global war. But defeating Russia is impossible.’
“The people of Ukraine have become hostages to the Kiev government and its Western rulers, who have effectively taken over the country politically, militarily and economically,” he said. They want to turn a local conflict into a global one, we understand that and will respond accordingly.’
The Russian president said, ‘It is impossible to defeat Russia. Moreover, most Russian citizens supported the war. Therefore, we will not bow down to Western conspiracy in any way. Russia will continue the war in Ukraine.’
Russia and the US still have large arsenals of nuclear weapons left over from the Cold War. In 2010, ‘The New Start’ agreement limited the number and use of these weapons. The agreement was supposed to expire in 2026, but Russia has now suspended it.
