Allies Closely Eyeing Russian Nuclear Arms Activity, NATO Says

NATO will closely monitor what Russia does with its nuclear weapons after President Vladimir Putin suspended his country’s participation in the New START treaty, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said as he warned of the risk of an arms build-up.

“This is a reckless decision because we need arms control and we need transparency,” Secretary General Stoltenberg told Bloomberg TV in an interview. “A world without nuclear arms control agreements risks leading to more nuclear weapons.”

Putin said during his state-of-the-nation address on Tuesday that Russia would suspend its observation of the treaty and won’t allow the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to inspect its nuclear facilities. The treaty seeks to limit the deployment of intercontinental-range nuclear weapons by both Russia and the US by allowing checks of each country’s program.

Russia has invested heavily in new modern nuclear capabilities in recent years, Stoltenberg said, adding the alliance was “taking the necessary steps to ensure our deterrence remains safe and credible.”

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