Russia announced on August 8, 2022 that facilities covered by New START would be temporarily exempt from US on-site inspections. Moscow cited obstacles it said Western sanctions created for reciprocal Russian inspections in the United States.
The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed to airspace closures and visa restrictions, and also cited coronavirus conditions. These were Moscow's stated reasons, not independently established findings that Washington had deliberately prevented inspections.
New START limited deployed strategic nuclear warheads and provided verification arrangements between the two countries. Russia said it remained committed to the treaty's provisions despite the inspection decision.
The announcement concerned inspections. It should not be confused with a withdrawal from the treaty or with Russia's later announcement suspending participation. Matching reporting from Al Jazeera supports the account where the original NV article could not be retrieved.
Read more at NV. Supporting source: www.aljazeera.com.
