Russia Suspends Treaty, United States to Stop Exchange of Nuclear Weapons Data

US B-61 nuclear bomb illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/United States Department of Defense/SSGT Phil Schmitten)

JAKARTA - The United States has told Russia it will stop exchanging data on its nuclear forces, after Moscow refused to do so, the White House said, calling it a response to Moscow's decision to suspend the New START nuclear weapons treaty.

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to formally withdraw from the treaty, which limits both sides' use of strategic nuclear arsenals, his suspension on February 21 jeopardized US-Russia arms control.

The combined total of Moscow and Washington's nuclear warheads is known to account for nearly 90 percent of the total number of nuclear warheads in the world.

"Under international law, the United States reserves the right to respond to Russia's violation of the New START Treaty by taking countermeasures that are proportionate and reversible to induce Russia to return to its obligations," a spokesman for the National Security Council said.

"That means that because Russia's claimed suspension of the New START Agreement is not legally valid, the US is legally allowed to withhold our bi-annual data updates in response to Russia's breach," the spokesperson added.

"Russia has not fully complied with and refuses to share the data that we ... agreed in New START to share every two years," John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, told reporters at a news conference.

"Since they have refused to comply... we have decided not to share the data. We'd prefer to be able to do (this) but they also have to be willing to do it."

Signed in 2010 and due to expire in 2026, the New START treaty limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that can be used by both countries.

Under its terms, Moscow and Washington can deploy no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, as well as 700 missile-based delivery bombers, submarines and land-based missiles.

Referring to the "Biannual Data Exchange" mechanism, each country provides a declaration of the transport vehicles, launchers and strategic warheads deployed, including details of the number of warheads deployed in three types of transport vehicles, air, sea and land. Each also detailed how many strategic delivery vehicles and warheads were deployed at each announced base.

Separately, a State Department spokesperson said, "in addition to the biannual exchange of data, the United States continues to provide all notices required under the New START Treaty."