On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow will suspend implementation of New START, the last remaining treaty between Russia and the United States limiting deployed nuclear weapons.
New START limits the number of “strategic” nuclear warheads that Russia and the United States can deploy to 1,550 and the number of deployed strategic nuclear-capable missiles and bombers to 700. The agreement, like its predecessors, was important in limiting arms race pressures, strengthening strategic stability and facilitating communication, transparency and predictability between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
Putin’s decision, a “suspension” rather than a full withdrawal, is a partial measure. Russia is still party to the agreement. Moscow has claimed that it would continue to adhere to the numerical ceilings established in New START and that it would continue to comply with a 1988 agreement with the U.S. to exchange notifications of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
