The United States believes that Russia violated the Treaty on the Reduction of Offensive Arms, since the aggressor country forbade the Americans to conduct inspections. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing a report by the US State Department.
The publication indicates that the US Foreign Ministry for the first time accused Moscow of violating the terms of the treaty in force since 2011. The State Department stressed that the lack of inspections provided for by the Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty makes it difficult to verify the number of warheads in Russia.
The Wall Street Journal recalled that the inspection was suspended back in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic by mutual agreement of the parties. However, over time, when the virus was brought under control, they were not restored due to the decision of the Kremlin.
In September, Russia informed the US that it had 1,549 warheads and bombs. But without the ability to use inspections to conduct spot checks, the State Department report notes, the United States cannot say for sure whether the Russian Federation remained within the contractual limit last year, the WSJ added.
Congress fears that such breaches of the treaty could be followed by more radical Russian action.
Now there is not a single treaty that Russia would not violate or does not violate. The joint headquarters should proceed from the fact that Russia has violated or will violate the new treaty on the reduction of offensive weapons. I want to see plans for how the US will respond,” said Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers.
The US-Russia Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty expires in 2026.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.