The US is ready for constructive cooperation with the Russian Federation for the full implementation of DSNO-3, the State Department noted.

Russia is in violation of a key nuclear arms control agreement with the United States and continues to refuse permission to inspect its nuclear facilities. This was announced on Tuesday by a representative of the State Department, writes CNN.

“Russia is not fulfilling its obligation under the New Treaty on SNO-3 to facilitate inspection activities on its territory. Russia’s refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of US-Russian nuclear arms control,” – the message says.

“Russia has also failed to fulfill its obligation under the new treaty on SNO-3 to convene a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission in accordance with the terms established by the treaty,” the State Department added.

Under the new NPT-3 treaty – the only remaining agreement governing the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals – Washington and Moscow are allowed to conduct inspections of each other’s weapons facilities, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, inspections have been suspended since 2020.

A meeting of the Bilateral Treaty Consultative Commission was scheduled to take place in Egypt at the end of November, but was abruptly canceled. The US blamed Russia for the delay, and a State Department official said the decision was made by Russia “unilaterally.”

The treaty imposes limits on the number of deployed nuclear weapons of intercontinental range that the United States and Russia can have. It was last extended for five years in early 2021, meaning the two sides will soon need to start negotiations on yet another arms control agreement.

The State Department says Russia can return to full compliance if they “allow inspection activities on their territory, as they have done for many years under the new SNA treaty,” and have scheduled a commission meeting.

The US is ready for constructive cooperation with the Russian Federation for the full implementation of DSNO-3, its preservation is in the interests of American security, the State Department said.

The State Department also claims that it does not create obstacles to Russian inspections within the framework of the SNO-3 agreement and expects reciprocity from the Russian Federation.

Treaty on the control of nuclear weapons – what is known

The agreement between the USA and Russia on measures to further reduce and limit strategic offensive weapons (СНО-3, New START Treaty) was signed by US Presidents Barack Obama and Russian Dmitry Medvedev in 2010 and is designed for 10 years.

In 2021, the USA and Russia extended the SNO-3 agreement for another 5 years – until 2026.