In a significant move, the United States has announced its decision to withhold crucial notifications mandated by the New START nuclear arms control treaty from Russia.

“The United States is committed to full and mutual implementation of the New START Treaty. Consistent with that commitment, the United States has adopted lawful countermeasures in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing violations of the New START Treaty. The Russian Federation’s purported suspension of the New START Treaty is legally invalid. As a result, Russia remains bound by its New START Treaty obligations, and is violating the treaty by failing to fulfill many of those obligations,” the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, the suspension of information sharing regarding the status and locations of nuclear missiles and launchers took effect as of that day. However, the United States clarified that it would continue to provide notifications to Russia specifically concerning the launch of intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Moreover, the US has also decided to cease sharing telemetric information with Russia pertaining to the launch of its intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Telemetric data encompasses valuable information obtained during test flights of missiles. The New START treaty outlined an annual exchange of such data between both countries, which will now be interrupted.

In addition to the aforementioned measures, Russian inspection activities on US territory have been halted, marking a significant escalation in tensions. Furthermore, visas issued to Russian New START inspectors and their aircrews, as well as pending applications, have been revoked by the United States. Diplomatic clearance for Russian inspection aircraft has also been rescinded, as disclosed in a detailed fact sheet released by the US State Department on Thursday.

Emphasizing the lawful nature of these countermeasures, the State Department underscored Russia's continued violations of the New START treaty in its fact sheet. The United States firmly asserts that Russia's alleged suspension of the treaty holds no legal validity. Notably, the United States provided prior notification to Russia regarding these countermeasures and expressed its willingness to reverse them and fully implement the treaty if Russia returns to compliance.

As the situation unfolds, the implications of the United States' decision to withhold key notifications under the New START treaty are expected to have a significant impact on the already strained relations between the two global powers. (ILKHA)