US Halts Nuclear Arsenal Information Exchange With Russia

The US has ceased providing important information on its nuclear arsenal to Russia, citing Moscow’s decision to discontinue its involvement in the New START treaty. 

The US had offered to continue sharing biannual data on nuclear weapons with Russia under the flimsy state of the New START treaty, even after Moscow suspended its participation. 

However, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said that, according to Russian officials, they will not be sharing their data with the US. 

“Since they have refused to comply with that particular part of New START, we have also decided not to share that data,” Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. 

The New START treaty limits the number of nuclear weapons allowed for each nation and authorizes inspections to promote safety and stability. 

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended its participation in inspections under the treaty, accusing the US of seeking to defeat his country in Ukraine. Putin emphasized that Moscow was not withdrawing from the treaty altogether, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said it would respect the caps on nuclear weapons and keep notifying the US about test launches of ballistic missiles. 

The United States signed a five-year extension of the treaty in 2021. 

Days after Putin announced on March 25 that Moscow would move tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, the United States’ decision comes. This is the first instance of Russians basing nuclear weapons outside of their borders since 1996. The move is considered a warning to Ukraine and allied Western nations as they continue to provide military and financial support to Kyiv. 

The Biden administration has said it would “monitor the implications” of Putin’s decision. Kirby noted that there hadn’t been “any indication that he’s made good on this pledge, or moved any nuclear weapons around.”