The Russian Duma ratifies the suspension of the New START nuclear disarmament treaty

Joe Biden, in Eastern Europe; Vladimir Putin in the Duma. The two leaders measure forces ahead of the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

Moscow’s most recent step in that direction was confirmed on Wednesday, February 22, after the Lower House of the Russian Parliament unanimously ratified the suspension of the START III treaty, a measure announced by the Kremlin leader a day earlier.

This is the agreement signed between Washington and Moscow, which limits the atomic capacity of the two powers to 1,550 nuclear warheads. The pact was signed in 2010 and extended in 2021 for another five years, but the Russian government had already given indications that it would not renew it in 2026.

A decision that increases the risk of an eventual nuclear escalation given the lack of mutual controls that the suspension implies.

“By failing to fulfill its obligations and rejecting our country’s proposals on global security issues, the United States destroyed the architecture of international stability,” the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, justified in a statement shortly before the vote.

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Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, is also scheduled to vote on the new measure in the coming hours. However, it is expected that it will only be a protocol act that strongly supports Putin’s decision.

All the exchanges of information and elements that refer to the verification activities of the nuclear disarmament treaty will be without effect for the Russian Government once the suspension is formalized in the Legislature, indicated in the last hours the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Riabkov.

The future of New START would be in the hands of Putin

Although Riabkov added that “it is not known when the agreement will be resumed”, since there are currently no talks on this matter with the US government, the pact would remain in the hands of Putin.

As he remarked in his State of the Nation speech on Tuesday, February 21, the Kremlin leader will be in charge of deciding whether or not Moscow returns to compliance with its obligations regarding the control of atomic weapons.

But among the flurry of accusations from the Kremlin for continuing the biggest conflict on European soil since World War II; As well as withdrawing from the nuclear pact, the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, assured that retaking it “will depend on the position of the West.”

“When there is a willingness to take our concerns into account, then the situation will change,” he said.

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And it is that in the midst of his justifications, the Russian president pointed out that his country is withdrawing from the agreement due to the United States’ support for Ukraine, in the midst of the ongoing invasion ordered by Putin on February 24, 2022.

The leader of the first nuclear power accused Washington and its NATO allies of openly working for “the destruction of Russia”.

However, his statements were refuted shortly after by Joe Biden, who during his speech in Poland emphasized that “the West does not want to destroy Russia.”

The consequences would not be limited only to suspending the treaty. Moscow threatens to take further steps.

“Of course, we will closely monitor the future actions of the United States and its allies, including with a view to taking more countermeasures, if necessary,” said the Russian deputy foreign minister, quoted by the state agency Interfax.

Russia is now demanding that British and French nuclear weapons, which it claims are directed against its territory, be included in the arms control framework, something analysts say is impossible for Washington after more than half a century of bilateral nuclear treaties. with Moscow.

In the midst of this struggle between the two largest military powers, under the umbrella of the war in Ukraine, President Biden is scheduled to meet this Wednesday in Poland with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and with the representatives of the flank. of the political-military alliance, before concluding his four-day lightning visit to Polish and Ukrainian soil.

Wang Yi in Moscow: “We have always been in favor of multipolarity”

While Ukraine attended the first visit by a US president to a territory at war on Monday, February 20, 24 hours later Moscow received the head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi.

Despite hinting at an ambiguous position at the start of the war, the Asian giant has become an indisputable ally of the Kremlin in its war.

A scenario that was demonstrated with the statements of the director of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party to Russia, on February 22, during his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

“China and Russia have always upheld their strategic decision to firmly move on the path of forming a multipolar world. We have always been in favor of multipolarity, and against unilateral actions and hegemonism,” Wang said.

Beijing agrees with Moscow in the accusations against Washington of seeking dominance and hegemony over the world that, they maintain, they are not willing to tolerate.

“Our relations are developing dynamically and, despite the high turbulence in the world arena, we exhibit cohesion and willingness to defend our interests on the basis of international respect and the central role of the UN,” Lavrov said.

Although during the Munich Conference – which concluded on Sunday, February 19 – Wang indicated that his government has a peace proposal, Beijing has not formally presented an initiative in this regard.

As Washington and its allies back Ukraine and increase their military aid, Moscow and Beijing are closer than ever. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict measures the geopolitical thermometer, and in the middle is a war-torn country that clings to its sovereignty.

With Reuters and EFE