Medvedev on Russia's suspension of START treaty: 'US has got what it deserved'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - "The US has got what it deserved," Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said on Tuesday as President Vladimir Putin suspended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Washington.

Medvedev wrote on Twitter that it is impossible to fight against Russia and simultaneously work with it on strategic stability issues.

"The US has got what it deserved for its dumb anti-Russian policy, i.e., suspending of the New START. You can’t fight against Russia while making it seem that ... it’s business as usual. Serves you right!" Medvedev said.

Addressing the Russian parliament earlier on Tuesday, Putin said Russia will suspend its participation in the only remaining arms control treaty with the US due to Washington's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

He added that the US may transfer to Ukraine information about the location of Russia's strategic facilities obtained during inspections carried out under the treaty.

The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by then US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.

Russia and the US agreed to extend it for another five years in February 2021.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called on Russia to review its decision, saying "nuclear weapons and fewer arms control make the world more dangerous."​​​​​​​