Report # 120. The New START is without inspections. Who is responsible for such move?

August 10, 2022

On August 8, 2022 Russia officially informed the USA about the withdrawal of its facilities from inspection activities under the New START for American inspectors on Russian territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation explained that due to the aviation restrictions imposed by Washington and its allies and the tightening of the visa regime in transit countries, Russian inspectors, unlike their American counterparts, are unable to arrive in the USA. The reason for this decision was a notification received from the American side of the intention to conduct an inspection on Russian territory in the coming days, which, under the circumstances, Sergei Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, described as "an outright provocation."

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow unconditionally intends to comply with the provisions of the New START and is ready to discuss the resumption of inspections, but "from the most realistic positions." The Interfax news agency quotes Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, who said that Russia's decision to temporarily withdraw its facilities from inspection activities is the result of a powerful anti-Russian policy carried out over the past 10-15 years and not connected with the conduct of a Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow refused to comment on the situation in detail, but assured that Washington allegedly remains committed to New START.

A number of international arms control experts agree that the treaty can continue to exist without inspections, the suspension of which is still evidence of a further deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington. Ankit Panda, an expert on nuclear policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, traditionally abstracted away from the reasons and called Russia's response "a cynical attempt to put pressure on the United States" in connection with the sanctions that the West imposed on Russia "for its invasion to Ukraine". In making such statement, Ankit Panda displayed ignorance and proved that he is does not aware the situation. Before making such empty accusations he should ask the U.S. State Department about the reality in this issue.

In the media resources of the international TV company Aljazeera, Moscow's actions are viewed as counteracting the U.S. desire to "create unilateral advantages" and deprive Russia of "the right to conduct inspections on American soil."

Currently, the New START is, in fact, the last agreement between former Cold War rivals. The document, which expires in February 2026, limits the stockpile of nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic heavy bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The BBC notes that Moscow imposed a ban on inspections a week after U.S. President Joseph Biden announced his readiness to work on a new agreement. But it is important to note that Russian response was de facto a response to the U.S. initially imposed blockade on Russian New START inspectors to visit the USA.

The Guardian rightly points out that New START is "still in place, and despite the inspection situation, Russia continues to report nuclear stockpile moves or status changes." Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and ex-head of the U.S. delegation at the talks on the New START with Moscow told the publication that in recent months the number of such notifications received by the U.S. State Department has increased, which undoubtedly indicates Moscow's commitment to comply with arms control agreements.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman of the UN Secretary General, called on Russia and the United States to solve the problems of access to inspection of the implementation of the treaty. He noted that the New START is "an important element of international peace and security and the only remaining bilateral agreement on nuclear arms control." The Wall Street Journal quoted Daryl Kimbal, Executive Director of the U.S. Arms Control Association, who also recommended that both Moscow and Washington, regardless of differences, "… resume inspections, and begin negotiations on a new agreement [on Strategic Offensive Arms]," which is designed to reduce the degree of nuclear danger in the world. Former Senior Director for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama, expressed the hope that what is happening is “a kind of political pothole, rather than a new major obstacle to stability".

It should be more accurate to address concerns in the West on interruption of the New START inspections not to Washington and Moscow together, but to Washington first, who blocked entry of Russian inspectors on the continental USA under the New START provisions.


The restart of inspection activities should be carried out on conditions that take into account existing realities and do not create unilateral advantages for any of the parties to the New START


Written by Vladimir P. Kozin

 

11.08.2022
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