MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Russia has suspended its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction (New START) Treaty within the framework of a process of reformatting strategic and geopolitical relations with the West, Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov told the NTV channel on Saturday.

"The process of reformatting relations is underway, both the strategic and geopolitical ties," he said commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Federal Assembly.

On Tuesday, the Russian leader said that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty but was not withdrawing from it. The head of state stressed that before returning to discussing continued work under the treaty the Russian side needed to figure out how the arsenals of NATO’s other nuclear powers, the UK and France, would be taken into account along with US capacities.

At its Wednesday session, the State Duma unanimously passed a bill on suspending Russia’s participation in the New START treaty.