A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Tuesday that Russia would suspend participation in the New START treaty, a key nuclear arms reduction agreement, is the latest in a series of ominous declarations in which he has made reference to his nuclear arsenal.
What specifically this latest move will mean in terms of the worldwide nuclear threat is something of a question mark.
The treaty was already essentially paused since Russia had recently refused to open up its arsenal to inspectors.
CNN’s report notes that Putin is not technically withdrawing from the treaty, so his declaration “appears to be formalizing its current position.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry later clarified that Moscow will continue to respect the caps established in the treaty and that Putin’s suspension of the treaty is “reversible.”
New START – “START” is shorthand for “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty” – is the last in a long series of nuclear treaties between the US and Russia, previously the Soviet Union.
Strategic nuclear weapons are larger warheads that could wipe away cities. Russia and the US both also have smaller “tactical” nuclear weapons not covered by the New START treaty. Much less is known about Russia’s arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons. Read more about Russia and tactical nuclear weapons.
First signed during the Obama administration to take effect in 2011 and then renewed in February 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office, the strategic arms treaty places a cap on the number nuclear armaments each country can have.
The caps, as described by the US State Department, are:
- 700 deployed…
Read the full article here