New START treaty’s US-Russia data exchange won’t happen after Moscow’s suspension

According to Dr. John Plumb, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, the United States and Russia will not participate in the semiannual data exchange as laid out under the New START treaty. Plumb informed lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that the US reached out to Russia regarding the data exchange, and Moscow informed them that it would not be complying. As a result, the US will not either.

This update comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended participation in the treaty on February 21, 2021, which left the New START treaty as the only agreement regulating the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. Under the treaty, the US and Russia exchange high-level numerical data. However, Russia’s decision not to participate this period means the US has also suspended its cooperation.

The treaty, which was initially signed in 2010, capped the number of warheads that each country can deploy to 1,500, and the deployment of land and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them at 700. The two sides agreed to extend the treaty for another five years just days before its expiration in February 2021. Despite this agreement, inspections were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides were set to meet in November in Egypt to begin discussions about resuming inspections, but the Russian side postponed the meeting.

In response, President Joe Biden called Putin’s announcement a “big mistake,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible.” The US, according to Plumb, is trying to balance responding to Russia’s “irresponsible behavior” while continuing to demonstrate what he/they believe is a responsible nuclear power.