London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 06, 2026

Ukraine war: Big mistake for Russia to suspend nuclear arms treaty, Biden says

Ukraine war: Big mistake for Russia to suspend nuclear arms treaty, Biden says

US President Joe Biden has called Russia's decision to suspend the New Start nuclear arms treaty a big mistake.

President Vladimir Putin announced the move on Tuesday in his annual address to the nation.

The deal, signed in 2010, limits the number of US and Russian nuclear warheads and gives each the power to inspect the other's weapons.

Mr Biden's comments came as he met a key group of Nato allies in Poland.

The group of eastern European states, known as the Bucharest Nine, reiterated their condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year since its start.

Putin's decision to suspend involvement in the nuclear treaty was officially pushed through by both houses of Russia's parliament on Wednesday.

But Russia's foreign ministry later said Moscow would continue to comply with the New Start treaty's restrictions in a "responsible approach".

A senior military official told Russia's lower house that the country would continue to observe agreed restrictions on nuclear delivery systems - meaning missiles and strategic bomber planes.


What is the New Start treaty?


Signed in 2010 by two then presidents - Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev - the New Start treaty was designed to prevent nuclear war. It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that both sides can deploy, and gives each country the power to inspect the other.

The arrangement came into force in 2011 and was extended 10 years later - although weapons inspections were disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

Each side's limit is 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads, a lower number than under the previous Start deal.

Between them, the two former Cold War rivals account for almost all of the world's nuclear weapons. Russia had previously said it wanted to keep the treaty running - despite hostile rhetoric on both sides during the Ukraine war.

Speaking ahead of the meeting with leaders from the Bucharest Nine nations - which make up Nato's eastern flank - Mr Biden said suspending New Start was a "big mistake" and reiterated the US commitment to the military alliance.

"Article 5 is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of Nato," he said. Article 5 stipulates that an attack on any member state is treated as an attack on all and requires a joint response.

At the meeting he told the assembled leaders that they were the "front line of our collective defence". In a joint statement after the meeting the group said they were committed to increasing Nato's military presence on their territories.

Russia says Nato - which could soon see Sweden and Finland become new members - represents an existential threat.

Mr Putin, speaking at a rally in Moscow to mark a year of the war, said Russia was fighting in Ukraine for its "historical" lands.

"I just heard from the top military leadership of the country that a battle is ongoing right now, for our historical lands, for our people," he said.

Earlier he met China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow and said cooperation with Beijing was "very important to stabilise the international situation".

Mr Wang said Beijing was ready to strengthen its partnership with Moscow and said their relationship would not be affected by pressure from other countries.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Green Party Faces Backlash Over Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism
Conservatives Debate Scrapping Environmental Rules for New Homes
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Approach £2,000 This Winter
UK Coach Operators Warn of Service Cuts as Diesel Prices Exceed £2
Scottish Parliament Approves £68 Billion Budget With New Tax and Property Measures
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein Whistleblower
UK Government Drops Plan to Suspend Jury Trials in England and Wales
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Markets Watch November
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over Alleged Plot Targeting Manchester Jewish Community
UK Fiscal Headroom Halves to £11 Billion Ahead of Budget, EY Warns
US Bomber Withdrawal From RAF Fairford Prompts UK Security Review
Sarah Wakfer Appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s Health and Care Regulator
Scotland Housing Completions Fall to 11-Year Low Amid National Shortage
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Oversight and Unannounced Regulatory Inspections
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Fuel and Wholesale Energy Prices Higher
Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Second Brexit Referendum in Review of UK-EU Relations
EY Warns UK Fiscal Headroom Has Halved to £11 Billion Ahead of Autumn Budget
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
×