2023-05-16 10:27:01
The United States unveiled Monday evening the figures of its strategic arsenal of nuclear deterrence. Washington claims to want to respect the New Start nuclear disarmament treaty and calls on Russia to do the same, when it had suspended its participation in the project.
As of March 1, the United States has deployed a total of 662 intercontinental ballistic missiles – a figure that includes missiles aboard submarines and bombers, with 1,419 nuclear warheads and 800 launchers, according to a State Department statement. .
“The United States calls on Russia to meet its legal obligations by rejoining the New Start agreement and the stabilization, transparency, and verification measures contained therein,” the statement added.
Russia suspended its participation in the New Start treaty in February, in retaliation for Western aid in the war in Ukraine. This decision was denounced in unison by the Western powers.
The latest bilateral nuclear disarmament agreement
Signed in 2010, the New Start treaty is the last bilateral nuclear disarmament agreement between Russians and Americans. Moscow had already announced in early August suspending planned inspections of its military sites.
The New Start agreement limits the arsenals of the two nuclear powers to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic offensive warheads each, a reduction of almost 30% compared to the previous limit set in 2002. It also limits the number of launchers and heavy bombers at 800.
The New Start treaty provides in particular for checks on both sides of the arsenals, which had been suspended by the Covid-19 epidemic. The administration of US President Joe Biden had tried to revive them, in vain.
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