Russia suspends nuclear inspections treaty: ‘Sanctions to blame’

The Russian government has told the United States that it has suspended US inspection activities of nuclear weapons facilities under the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (also known as the ‘New START’ treaty), because Russian inspectors are to all practical purposes barred from the US by sanctions.

In an 8 August statement, the Kremlin said that the Russian Federation ‘is compelled to resort to this measure due to Washington’s stubborn striving to achieve, without prior arrangement, the resetting of inspection activities on conditions that do not take into account existing realities and are creating unilateral advantages for the United States, and are de facto depriving the Russian Federation of the right to conduct inspections on American territory.’

It added: ‘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. At present, these principles are not being observed. Thus, as a result of the US-inspired unilateral anti-Russia restrictions, normal airflights between Russia and the US have been suspended while the air space over US ally and partner countries is closed to Russian aircraft carrying Russian groups of inspectors to ports of entry on American territory.

‘At the same time, there are no similar restrictions for US inspectors coming to Russia. The Foreign Ministry has raised this question before the countries concerned but has received no answer. Additional difficulties for Russian inspectors and Russian flight crews have been created – again as part of the Washington-inspired unilateral anti-Russia restrictions – through tougher visa requirements in transit countries along potential routes. American inspectors or flight crews are not encountering these difficulties. These and other issues known to the US, on which the parties exchange information via the appropriate channels, must be resolved. Without this, it would be premature to resume inspection activities under the Treaty, as the United States insists.’