U.S. President Joe Biden at the Bucharest Nine summit in Warsaw on February 22.
* The New START treaty limits the deployment of strategic nuclear warheads
* Putin on Tuesday said he was suspending Russian involvement in the deal
* 'Big mistake,' said Biden a day later as he met with Eastern European allies
President Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend Russian cooperation with the last remaining U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control treaty, further escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow.
Putin made the announcement in his state-of-the-nation address on Tuesday, as he railed against the West.
A day later, Biden was asked for his response just ahead of a meeting with Eastern European allies in Warsaw. 'Big mistake,' was his terse response.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Russia's parliament has just approved the suspension of START .... Russian lawmakers endorse suspension of nuclear pact with US (ABC News/AP).
As to what is my take on Russia suspending START. Anyone who knows anything about nuclear arms control understands how dangerous this move by Moscow is. Even though the Kremlin has stated that they will still abide by the limits imposed by START, I cannot help but feel that this will only be the first step in a new nuclear arms race.
US President Biden Says Russian President Putin Made A 'Big Mistake' On New START Treaty
Biden: Putin’s suspension of US arms treaty ‘big mistake’ -- AP
Biden says Putin made a 'big mistake' on New START treaty -- NBC
Biden calls Putin’s New START suspension a ‘big mistake’ -- The Hill
Biden calls Putin's New START suspension a 'big mistake.’ What is the nuclear arms treaty? -- USA Today
3 comments:
The treaty wasn't functionally doing anything aside from limiting the number of active warheads. Neither side has been allowing inspections. It was high time for it to die.
---
"In early February, the North Atlantic alliance made a statement with actual demand to Russia, as they put it, to return to the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, including admission of inspections to our nuclear defence facilities. I don’t even know what to call this. It is a kind of a theatre of the absurd.
We know that the West is directly involved in the Kiev regime’s attempts to strike at our strategic aviation bases. The drones used for this purpose were equipped and updated with the assistance of NATO specialists. And now they also want to inspect our defence facilities? In the current conditions of confrontation, it simply sounds insane.
I would like to draw your attention specifically to the fact that they are not letting us conduct full-scale inspections under this treaty. Our repeated applications to inspect different facilities remain unanswered or are rejected under formal pretexts, and we cannot verify anything on the other side.
I would like to stress that the United States and NATO are openly saying that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. And what, after such statements they are supposed to tour our defence facilities, including the latest ones, as if nothing happened? A week ago, I signed an executive order putting new land-based strategic systems on combat duty. Are they going to poke their nose there as well? Do they think we will let them go there just because?"
- Excerpt from Putin's Feb 21 speech
---
Just like when Trump unilaterally pulled out of the INF, it was done for arguably valid reasons: to account for the new nuclear landscape which has many more actors than just Russia and the USA.
---
"Let me recall that the US is not the only nuclear power in NATO. Britain and France also have nuclear arsenals. They are developing and upgrading them and these arsenals are also directed against us – they are also directed against Russia. The latest statements by their leaders merely confirm it – listen for yourselves.
We cannot just ignore this and have no right to do so especially now. Nor can we forget that the Soviet Union and the United States initially signed the first Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms in 1991 in a completely different situation – in conditions of abating tensions and growing mutual trust."
- Excerpt from Putin's Feb 21 speech
---
Arms control is (at least claimed) a mutual goal of all states and maybe the death of these outdated treaties, which only limit the two original nuclear powers, will pave the way for more realistic ones in the future? I don't know about you but I personally don't feel more or less safe given the way in which the terms of the treaty were just ignored in the first place.
why bother giving us some bullshit speeches from dictator Puntin. He bombs civilians. He destroys electric grid to starve people. He is a liar, war criminal and invaded a nation at peace. That is the situation. That is what Ukraine confronts. All the bsing by Putin is nonsense and lies.
Low IQ comment. Understand your enemy or lose to them (currently happening btw)
Post a Comment