Russia suspends last US nuclear treaty after Biden's Ukraine visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Moscow will suspend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)—its last remaining nuclear pact with the United States. He added that Russia should be ready to resume its nuclear weapons tests, anticipating similar action from the US. This could spell the end of the global ban on nuclear weapons tests imposed since the Cold War.

• This comes after US President Joe Biden visited Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia for a year over territorial disputes and its insistence to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• In his state of the nation address on Tuesday, Putin accused NATO and the West, referring primarily to the US, of starting the war by sowing discord and making Ukraine "anti-Russia."

In a speech in Poland's Warsaw on Wednesday, Biden said that Russia will never be victorious in Ukraine. "A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease the people's love of liberty, brutality will never grind down the will of the free," he said. Biden dismissed Putin's allegations against the West, adding that the Russian citizens are not the enemy.

Despite suspending the New START, Putin said Russia would continue to abide by the restrictions laid down in the treaty regarding the permissible number of warheads to be deployed. The US and Russia stalled mutual inspection of each other's nuclear arsenal since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After invading Ukraine, Russia refused to resume the inspections and a planned round of consultations.

The pact was signed by then-US President Barack Obama and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010 which pegged the number of deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550, and missiles and bombers at 700. It was set to expire in 2021 but was extended for five more years until 2026. The treaty allowed both countries to physically inspect each other's nuclear arsenal.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken termed the deal's suspension "deeply unfortunate and irresponsible." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg asked Putin to reconsider his move, stating it made the world a more dangerous place. China's Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, added the New START is important for global security architecture and said that the concerned parties should continue negotiations to reach a solution.

After pledging unwavering support to Ukraine on Tuesday in Poland, Biden on Wednesday is set to meet the Bucharest Nine—NATO's eastern members, which were former members of the Soviet Union led by Russia. These countries have promised military and financial support to Ukraine in the war against Russia. Biden on Monday promised a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine.