Putin announces the suspension of Russia's participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty "START"

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced, during a speech to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, the suspension of Russia's participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty "START".

Putin said during his speech: "I am forced to announce today that Russia will suspend its participation in the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms. I repeat, not withdrawal from the Treaty. No, namely suspension of its participation. But before returning to the discussion and research on START, we must understand, what Those countries like France and Britain want it, and how will we take into account their strategic arsenals, that is, the joint striking ability of the North Atlantic Alliance?!

He added, "Russia is suspending its participation in the START Treaty... The United States, through NATO, is sending an ultimatum to Moscow regarding the New START Treaty... Washington demands that all points be achieved, while Washington plans to act as it wishes."

On the other hand, the president pointed out that Washington is considering conducting a nuclear weapons test, and "this matter has become known, and accordingly the Ministry of Defense and Rosatom must be ready to test nuclear weapons if the United States does so first."

President Putin added, "At the beginning of February, NATO demanded a return to the START treaty, including the opportunity to supervise Russia's nuclear deterrence forces. It is a theater of absurdity," adding: "Our request for corresponding supervision has not been answered, or it has been ignored." ".

President Putin pointed out that "NATO" wants to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, and "after that it wants to supervise our nuclear facilities." Russia cannot ignore this.

And he continued: They say that there is no relationship between the problems of strategic offensive weapons and the conflict in Ukraine and other hostilities against our country, except that at the same time no one hides that they want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia .. This is the height of hypocrisy, or cynicism . They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us access to our nuclear facilities.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, stated that Washington's disclaimer of responsibility for the "Northern Stream" bombings, despite the data of the Seymour Hersh investigation, confirms that everyone has exposed its lie.

Zakharova commented on Washington's disavowal of responsibility for the bombingsHersh: I will never appear before the US Congress to testify about the "Northern Stream"

Zakharova said: "The Americans' declaration that they have nothing to do with the North Stream bombings, despite the fact that the investigative data of the prominent journalist Seymour Hersh is available to everyone, shows that they understand that the lie has become exposed."

The State Department spokeswoman added: “The point is not even that the United States is the only appropriate answer to the age-old question of legal practice (who benefits?), but that Americans lie banally. I can remember again the test-tube story of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, ( on Iraq) but if you're tired of hearing it, there are plenty of other stories."

Stressing, "To what extent is the United States not involved in the North Stream bombings, in the same way as in the assassination of the President of Haiti, or in deception with test tubes to invade Iraq?"

Source: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs