Russia halts US inspections of its nuclear arsenals

Russia yesterday announced a freeze on United States inspections of its nuclear arsenals under a pivotal arms control treaty, claiming Western sanctions have hampered similar tours of US facilities by Russian monitors.

The move reflects soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia’s war in Ukraine and marks the first time the Kremlin halted US inspections under the New Start nuclear arms control treaty.

In declaring the freeze on US inspections, the Russian Foreign Ministry said sanctions on Russian flights, visa restrictions and other obstacles have made it impossible for Russian military experts to visit US nuclear weapons sites, giving the US “unilateral advantages”.

The Biden Administration had no immediate public response to the move. Ankit Panda, an expert on nuclear policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called Russia’s action “a cynical attempt to pressure the US” over penalties the West has imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia claimed US inspectors have not faced such difficulties, even though Moscow has closed its skies to the European Union’s 27 nations, the UK and Canada — though not the US — after the start of the conflict in Ukraine in late February. Russia said at the time that exceptions would be made for diplomatic missions and deliveries of humanitarian aid.

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the freeze is temporary and allowed by the pact. It noted that Russia “highly values” the New Start, adding that inspections could resume after the problems hampering them are solved.

“Russia is fully committed to abiding by all of the provisions of New Start, which we see as a crucial tool for maintaining international security and stability,” the ministry said.

The New Start treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.

Panda noted that Russia’s action also comes during a review conference for the half-century-old Nonproliferation Treaty in New York, where the US and Russia are discussing continued strategic arms reductions.

“At a time when nuclear risks between the two sides are far from waning, it’s essential that the inspection protocols in the Treaty are fully restored,” he said.