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Russia cannot verify whether US fits into START Treaty parameters, says Foreign Ministry

Moscow hopes Washington will demonstrate a constructive approach to the problem

MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Russia cannot verify that the US side has reduced its strategic offensive arms to a level set by the New START Treaty, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday, commenting on the report on New START Treaty Aggregate Numbers of Strategic Offensive Arms issued by the US Department of State on September 1, 2018.

"As presented by the US side, they, as the previous US data of February 5, 2018, should demonstrate that the United States has reached the levels set by Article II of the New START Treaty," the ministry said. "We cannot verify that."

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"The result announced by the United States was reached through unilateral conversion under the Treaty of 56 launchers of SLBMs (submarine launched ballistic missile) Trident II and 41 B-52H heavy bombers, which were reequipped in a way that Russia is unable to verify that these strategic offensive arms can no longer be used to carry nuclear weapons as envisaged by Part Three, Section I, paragraph 3, of the Protocol to that Treaty" the ministry said. "Apart from that, the United States does not include as non-deployed four silo launchers unilaterally reequipped for training purposes, a category that is not envisaged by the treaty."

"It means that the numbers of "deployed and non-deployed ICBM (inter-continental ballistic missile) launchers, deployed and non-deployed SLBM (submarine launched ballistic missile) launchers, and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers" in the United States still exceeds by 101 the limit set by the New START’s Article II, provision 1, sub-provision (c)," the ministry stressed.

"We think such state of thing unacceptable and will continue efforts to see to it that the US side fulfils its liabilities under this major international treaty in the sphere of reduction of nuclear and missile arms. We hope Washington will demonstrate a constructive approach to this topical problem," the ministry added.

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