Russia has denied US accusations that it is violating the New Start treaty, the only remaining nuclear arms control accord between the powers, and blamed the west’s backing of Ukraine for casting doubt on the deal’s renewal.
Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, said on Wednesday that the US had “destroyed the legal framework for arms control and security” and said its “hostile” backing of Kyiv after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a strategic threat for Moscow.
The US state department said in a letter to Congress on Tuesday that Russia had violated the treaty, which caps the number of strategic nuclear weapons both countries can have at 1,550, by refusing to renew inspections of its arsenal and pulling out of compliance talks.