Slutsky: US openly violate START-3 treaty

The United States itself is openly violating the START-3 treaty, Leonid Slutsky, head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, said. write “RIA News”.

Formerly US Department of State notified the country’s congress about what it considers as a violation of the START-3 treaty “blocking” by Russia of American inspections.

“The US itself is openly violating START-3, starting with the preamble of the treaty regarding the indivisibility of security. And it’s not for Washington to blame Russia for something,” Slutsky commented. He stressed that Russia did not give up arms control, but it was the United States that declared the Russian side “a total hybrid war and is betting on inflicting a strategic defeat on our country.”

According to Slutsky, it is the United States that, within the framework of the aforementioned treaty, “is openly abusing, removing allegedly converted strategic offensive weapons from the offset.” Slutsky noted that Russia, under the START-3 treaty, “does not hold anyone by force.” At the same time, the Russian side will regret if the United States decides to destroy the treaty.

In early December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declaredthat Washington’s freezing of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the United States is fraught with an avalanche-like increase in risks. The Russian minister drew attention to the fact that the latest result of the joint work in this direction of the two countries with nuclear arsenals was an agreement to extend the START Treaty.

START-3 was concluded in 2010 for 10 years, it was extended for another five years in 2021 with the coming to power of the administration of US President Joe Biden. It is now the last arms control treaty between Russia and the United States in force. It provided for the reduction of strategic weapons to 700 deployed (and 800 in total) carriers (submarines, intercontinental missiles and heavy bombers) and 1,550 deployed warheads.