MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. Russia will keep observing limits under the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty (New START) on the number of nuclear delivery vehicles, First Deputy Chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Department for International Military Cooperation Yevgeny Ilyin said in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday.

"The Defense Ministry of Russia actively watches the US activity for fulfilling its commitments. Corresponding measures are underway and were outlined by the president of the Russian Federation for building up the nuclear deterrence potential and accepting new types of strategic offensive armaments for service," the defense official said.

"As for the levels stated for the number of delivery vehicles for nuclear charges, they will be complied with during the period of the pause in fulfilling the New START and, correspondingly, the process of exchanging notices under the 1988 treaties between the USSR and the USA has also been organized, exists and will be implemented in full," Ilyin stressed.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier on Wednesday that Russia would keep observing central quantitative limits under the New START treaty and the ballistic missile launch notification agreement in order to maintain strategic stability.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly on February 21 that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty but was not withdrawing from it.