US’ Denial to Provide START Data Draws State Department’s Response

Moscow, March 30 – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US’ counter refusal to provide data under the START treaty would not affect Moscow’s decision to suspend the treaty.

“From the point of view of the practical implementation of the START treaty and its future fate, the information that the parties have not exchanged semi-annual quantitative data on START does not carry anything new. As is known, given the circumstances that arose due to Washington’s fault, we have suspended the START process, and this includes Termination of Russia’s participation in the exchange of information under the treaty. As for Washington’s counter refusal to provide this data, this is the choice of the United States, which does not affect our decision. “In any way,” Zakharova said in her briefing.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters that all notifications between the Russian Federation and the United States under the START treaty had been suspended. At the same time, he stressed, the US’s decision not to transfer the START notifications was a malignant failure to comply with the treaty, since it had not formally suspended participation in it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, on February 21, in a message to the Federal Assembly, that Russia is suspending its participation in the Russian-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), stressing that his country is 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 potential of NATO’s joint strike. Ryabkov told the News Agency that the official note on the suspension of Russia’s participation in the treaty was handed over to the American side on February 28.