Biden says no sign Russia mulling nuke use after treaty suspension
Feb 23, 2023
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday offered fresh criticism of Russia's suspension of a key nuclear treaty, but stressed there was no indication Moscow was moving closer to actually using an atomic weapon.
"It's a big mistake to do that, not very responsible," Biden said in Poland, expanding on brief comments he made before meeting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and eastern European leaders in Warsaw.
"But I don't read into that that he's thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that," the US president added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced the suspension of Moscow's participation in the New START arms treaty during a state of the nation address -- a decision that was approved by Russian lawmakers on Wednesday.
The 2010 deal, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the two rival nuclear powers, commits them to limiting their stockpile of nuclear warheads.
Putin's treaty announcement was met with widespread international condemnation, though Russia's foreign ministry later said Moscow would continue to comply with the treaty's restrictions in a "responsible" way until it expires in February 2026.