Putin suspends participation in New START Treaty, the US and Russia’s only nuclear arms control agreement

Putin announced in his Federal Assembly address on Tuesday that Russia is suspending its cooperation with the New START Treaty, the only remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia. He stressed that the suspension is not a full withdrawal.

Criticizing Western leaders for claiming that there’s “no connection between the New START Treaty and the conflict in Ukraine or the West’s other hostile activities towards our country,” Putin said that Russia needs to have a better understanding of NATO’s intentions before it returns to the agreement.

According to Putin, the U.S. is currently developing new types of nuclear weapons, and as a result, Russia needs to be ready to test nuclear weapons of its own.

“If the U.S. conducts [nuclear] tests, then so will we. Nobody should have any illusions that the global strategic parity can be destroyed,” he said.