The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of last year by the Russian military under the command of President Vladimir V. Putin makes any negotiations over arms control difficult.
The United States says Russia is not allowed American inspectors access to its arsenal to ensure compliance with the New START agreement, which the two nations renewed in 2021.
The State Department told Congress on Tuesday that Russia was not adhering to the only nuclear arms control treaty between the two nations, jeopardizing a source of stability in their relationship. The agency said Russia had refused to allow American inspectors into nuclear weapons facilities, an obligation under the treaty known as New START, which was renewed in February 2021 for five years. Russia refuses to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S. nuclear weapons control, the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday. It said Russia has not met the New START treaty obligation to convene a session of the bilateral consultative commission in accordance with the treaty-mandated timeline. Russia suspended inspections after it invaded Ukraine, it said that U.S. sanctions on Russia made it too hard for its inspectors to get access to the United States. The State Department said that was false.