START agreements are back on the agenda in the Russia-West crisis

The United States and the Soviet Union, which competed in the Cold War to increase their arsenals of nuclear weapons, have been in control since the early 1990s to ensure that their nuclear missiles are not used accidentally.

However, just days before the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, Putin announced that he was suspending Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty.

Putin accused the West of using “Ukraine as a battering ram and training ground against Russia”, warning that increased Western military aid to Ukraine would provoke a tougher reaction from Russia.

Emphasizing that the strained relations with the United States are “entirely the United States’ fault,” Putin said: “Of course, we will not be the first to do this, but if the United States (nuclear weapons) tests, we will. also. No one should fall into the dangerous illusion that global strategic equality can be destroyed. he used his statements.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov also said that Russia has suspended its participation in New START to “maintain nuclear equivalence.”

As the war launched by Russia against Ukraine entered its second year, Moscow’s move brought to the international agenda the possibility of the disintegration of the global arms control architecture, nuclear concerns and nuclear disarmament treaties signed during the war. cold.

NEW START AGREEMENT

The New START Treaty, which is the continuation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START 1 and START 2) signed by the US with the Soviet Union in 1991 and with the Russian Federation in 1993, is the last nuclear treaty in force between Washington and Moscow.

The New START Treaty, signed in 2010, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads deployed by Russia and the United States to a maximum of 1,550. The treaty also limits the number of nuclear-capable heavy bombers and launchers to 800.

The 10-year agreement, which took effect on February 5, 2011, expired on February 5, 2021.

Russian President Putin signed the decision to extend the treaty for 5 years on January 29, 2021. US President Joe Biden also announced his decision to extend the treaty on February 5, 2021.

The US State Department announced in early February that Russia does not allow inspection activities on its territory under the agreement between the two countries.

IS THE AGREEMENT FULFILLED?

According to the US Department of State, both countries met the limits set out in the treaty until February 2018 and have stayed at or below those limits ever since.

However, the future of the treaty has also been in jeopardy at times since its signing.

While former US President Donald Trump’s administration described the treaty as “extremely flawed” because it did not cover short-range “tactical” nuclear weapons, talks to extend the deal stalled during the Trump era.

Despite the Biden administration’s decision to extend the New START Treaty in 2021, regular treaty-mandated inspections have not been conducted for the past 3 years due to deteriorating relations with the Covid-19 outbreak and war Russia against Ukraine.

Russia, on the other hand, unilaterally postponed a technical meeting with the United States on the treaty in November 2022, citing political reasons.

TALKS ON STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATION

The fact that many countries had nuclear weapons during the Cold War raised concerns about the security of the world.

After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 at the end of World War II, the signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968 was an important step toward a world free of nuclear weapons in arms control efforts. .

US and Soviet officials, who thought that simply preventing the spread of these weapons was not enough, began Strategic Arms Limitation (SALT) talks in 1969.

Following the SALT negotiations, which lasted from November 17, 1969 to May 1972, the SALT 1 Treaty was signed between then-US President Richard Nixon and Soviet Union Leonid Brezhnev on May 26, 1972.

Under the agreement, the parties would not keep more than 100 anti-missile missiles in an area of ​​150 kilometers around their capitals and limit the number of radars to 8.

Another important point in the agreement was that these missiles would not be delivered to other countries and missile launchers would not be built. Furthermore, both parties mutually pledged not to manufacture offensive missiles for a period of 5 years.

On the other hand, this was followed by the SALT 2 talks, which began on November 21, 1972.

SALT 2, the first nuclear treaty to reduce the number of delivery vehicles in all categories of the two parties’ strategic forces to 2,250, was signed on June 18, 1979 in Vienna between US President Jimmy Carter and the leader of the Brezhnev Soviet Union, after a long time. negotiations and negotiations.

With the SALT 2 Treaty, more comprehensive than the first, it was decided to limit the number of strategic bombers, intercontinental missiles, sea-to-surface missiles, and multi-headed missiles. However, the treaty, which was not ratified by the United States Congress, did not enter into force.

The two countries began negotiations on Strategic Arms Reduction (START), which would replace the SALT 2 Treaty, in Geneva in 1982. Following negotiations, the START Treaty was signed on July 31, 1991 and entered into force on December 1994.

REACTIONS FROM NATO AND THE WEST

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty “the collapse of the entire arms control architecture” and called on Russia to reconsider its decision.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also described Moscow’s decision as “really unfortunate and very irresponsible.”

Earlier this month, NATO called on Russia to comply with the New START Treaty and allow inspections on its territory.

The US State Department, in a statement to the AA correspondent in late January, asserted that Russia did not allow inspection activities on its own territory within the scope of the New START Treaty, and called on Russia to “comply fully with its obligations and comply with the agreement”. (AA)