Russia accuses US of exceeding strategic arms limit

MOSCOW

Russia accused the US on Monday of exceeding the limit of strategic weapons deployed under by the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's count, the US has set up 101 more launchers for intercontinental missiles than stipulated by the START, the ministry said in a notice.

Under the treaty, Moscow and Washington exchange documents showing the number of weapons each has deployed as of March 1.

The ministry's notice said that as of Monday, Russia has 517 heavy bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) deployed on land and submarines with 1,456 nuclear warheads, while the US possesses 651 heavy bombers and ICBMs with 1,357 nuclear warheads.

Deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers (including submarines) and heavy bombers amount to 768 in Russia and 800 in the US.

However, the ministry said Washington "unilaterally subtracted from the count" 56 Trident-II launchers, 41 В-52Н heavy bombers, and four silo launchers, saying they had been re-fitted for conventional weapons.

Arguing that it is unable to corroborate this, Russia does not recognize the deduction and continues to see these armaments as nuclear-capable and keeps them in its own count of US strategic arms.

"Thus, The US exceeded the figure allowed under ... the Treaty by 101 units," said the minsitry.

On Feb. 3, Russia and the US announced an extension of the New START for five years until Feb. 5, 2026.

Once part of a larger group of agreements on arms control between the US and USSR, and later Russia, the New START is the last pillar that prevents the two countries from relapsing into a new Cold War and unleashing a full-fledged arms race.