MOSCOW, February 21 Russia is open to negotiations under the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START), if the United States comes to its senses and returns to dialogue, said First Deputy Head of the State Duma Defense Committee Alexei Zhuravlev on the anniversary of the suspension of Russia’s participation in the treaty.
On February 21, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his message to the Federal Assembly, stated that Russia was suspending participation in the Russian-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), emphasizing that the country was not withdrawing from the treaty. He noted that before returning to the discussion, it is necessary to understand what countries such as France and Great Britain are claiming, and how to take into account their strategic arsenals, that is, the total strike potential of NATO. An official note on the suspension of Russia’s participation in the Treaty was transmitted to the American side on February 28.
“We, however, did not completely abandon cooperation, but only suspended it, and this careful wording suggests that the decision is reversible. If the United States suddenly comes to its senses and meets halfway, our country is open to negotiations,” Zhuravlev said.
According to the deputy, when extending the New START Treaty in 2021, it was separately stipulated that the American missile defense system, the missiles of which could theoretically also be equipped with nuclear filling, would not threaten Russia, but the United States did not fulfill the condition and deployed the complexes in Romania and Poland. Zhuravlev also noted that the United States has also repeatedly denied visits by the Russian delegation “under far-fetched pretexts.”
«For a year now we have not allowed American inspections to our nuclear facilities, and everything that happens in Russia in this industry remains a sealed secret for the United States, which obviously causes some concern — right now in the White House and Congress they are seriously discussing whether we have already placed a bomb in space. Who knows how many new warheads we have produced and what we are equipping the rockets with,» Zhuravlev said.