The Foreign Ministry warned of the threat of a military clash with the United States

US actions against Russia could lead to a direct military clash between the two powers. About it declared at the Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the situation around the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START).

“The United States, in fact, unleashed an all-out hybrid war against Russia, which is fraught with a real danger of a direct military clash between the two nuclear powers,” the statement said.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that relations between Washington and Moscow should be built solely on the basis of mutual consideration of interests and equality. In conditions when the United States is pursuing a hostile policy towards Russia, any steps towards the New START are unjustified, including “holding sessions of a bilateral consultative commission on this treaty.”

Russia drew attention to the fact that “it will not leave unanswered” the actions of the United States, which cast doubt on the relevance of the START provisions. The Foreign Ministry also denied Washington’s claims that Russia allegedly does not comply with the requirements of the treaty.

January 31 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. After that, on February 1, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov informedthat Russia considers it important to extend START. “He [договор] in fact, the only one that remains not only viable, but, at least hypothetically speaking, viable,” he said.

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.