UNITED NATIONS, October 16. /TASS/. The situation surrounding arms control in general and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in particular is built on shifting military-strategic realities, the further evolution of which do not bode well for future forecasts, Vladimir Yermakov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, said in an interview with Russian journalists.

"The state of affairs in the field of arms control, including the fate of New Start, fully depends on the evolution of the military-political and military-strategic situation. And, as of now, as we can see, this situation does not bode well for positive prognostications," he said.

According to the senior diplomat, given these circumstances, it is necessary "to focus on the present day and determine what is needed in order to straighten out the general deplorable situation as early as the near future." "The minimal task is to prevent further escalation. It hardly makes any practical sense to plan for the more distant future right now," he added.

On February 21, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to suspend Russia's participation in New START without withdrawing from it. The president stressed that, before discussing resuming any work under the treaty, Moscow must understand for itself how New START would factor in the nuclear arsenals not only of the United States, but also those of other nuclear powers in NATO, such as the UK and France. On February 28, Putin signed a law suspending Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty.