Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, February 4 (Xinhua) — Under the current circumstances, Russia believes that the parties to the Russian-American Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START) are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations within the context of the Treaty, including its central provisions, and are fundamentally free to choose their next steps. This was stated in a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website on Wednesday.
As noted, on September 22, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward an initiative for the parties to the New START to undertake voluntary self-restrictions on compliance with the Treaty's "ceilings" at the level of relevant weapons for at least one year after the termination of the said agreement.
"However, no formalized official US response to the Russian initiative through bilateral channels has been received. Public comments from the American side also provide no basis for concluding that Washington is prepared to follow the strategic offensive arms control (STOC) course of action proposed by the Russian Federation," the statement reads. "Under the current circumstances, we proceed from the assumption that the parties to the START Treaty are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations in the context of the Treaty, including its central provisions, and are fundamentally free to choose their next steps."
It is also noted that Russia intends to act responsibly and prudently, building its policy in the area of strategic offensive weapons (START) based on a thorough analysis of US military policy and the general situation in the strategic sphere.
"The Russian Federation remains prepared to take decisive military-technical countermeasures to mitigate potential additional threats to national security. At the same time, our country remains open to exploring political and diplomatic avenues for comprehensive stabilization of the strategic situation based on equitable and mutually beneficial dialogue solutions, should the appropriate conditions for such interaction emerge," the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized in a statement.
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