'Principles are not being observed'
Russia announced Monday it will “temporarily” suspend U.S. inspections of nuclear weapons sites allowed under a 2011 bilateral treaty that aims to check the U.S.-Russia arms race as far back as the Cold War.
U.S. officials wanted to resume two-way inspections shortly under the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START Treaty), after inspections initially ceased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russia said travel restrictions placed by the U.S. in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prevent Russian teams from resuming travel to U.S. nuclear facilities, necessitating a “temporary” exemption.
“Our goal is to bring an end to this unacceptable situation and ensure the functioning of all mechanisms in the Treaty in strict conformity with the principles of parity and equality of the parties, as was implied when it was agreed upon and entered into force,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “At present, these principles are not being observed.”