Russia suspends participation in the last still functioning disarmament treaty with the United States. This was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech. BNR’s foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg is not surprised: “It was already on its way.”
Mistrust
According to Hammelburg, the treaty works by ensuring that both major nuclear powers, America and Russia, have no more than a set number of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. “Anyone who has a little more in one area than the other has to break some of those weapons so that the levels level again. So if the Americans need to get rid of some of those weapons, the Russian generals will come and check, and vice versa,” the foreign affairs commentator explains.
But now the situation between the two countries has worsened and mistrust has grown on both sides. According to Hammelburg, this makes implementation of the treaty difficult. It should be noted that Putin has not definitively denounced the treaty, but has suspended it. This is an essential difference, Hammelburg says, because it may still come into effect in the future. “It’s an important treaty, so it would be terrible if it fell.”
Fierce game
The Russian president also stressed in his speech that the West is playing a “fierce game” and that “they have started the war”. These words sound familiar to Hammelburg: “This is the image he has maintained since the first minute and he underlines this once again in this speech.”
“We underestimate that Russia has patience, is big and has a lot of people.”
Putin also said in the speech that “Russia cannot be defeated”. Even Hammelburg really thinks that Putin is convinced of this. “It doesn’t have much choice, but we underestimate that Russia has patience, it’s big and it has a lot of people.” The foreign commentator also suspects that the offensive the Russians are now building will be different from the failed opening set for February 24 last year: “I think the offensive will take place with much more trained and experienced soldiers.”
Biden
Not only is Russian President Putin giving a speech today, but his American counterpart Joe Biden is also giving a speech in Poland. According to Hammelburg, Biden will no doubt find a rebuttal to Putin’s story. “Biden’s theme, like that of the rest of the world, is that Ukraine is a country that was attacked for no reason and that is why it is supported by Article 51 of the UN Charter. It doesn’t matter what.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
