Blinken urges Russia to return to New START nuclear deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to reverse its decision and return to the New START nuclear deal.However, Blinken described Russia's military campaign in Ukraine as "a war of aggression," suggesting that Washington is not seeking to ease tensions with Moscow.Blinken made the remarks Thursday while speaking briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers' conference in New Delhi, India.Moscow has accused Washington of flouting its terms and trying to undermine Russia's national security. It has made its return to the treaty conditional on Washington hearing Moscow's position.President Vladimir Putin last month announced Russia's suspension of the bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, in which Russia and the US pledged to deploy no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, which account for 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads, and a maximum of 700 long-range missiles and bombers.Blinken called Russia's decision "irresponsible" and urged the Russian leadership to reverse it."Mutual compliance is in the interest of both our countries," Blinken claimed to Lavrov. He added: "No matter what else happens in the world, in our relationship, the United States is always ready to champion and act on strategic arms control, just as the United States and the Soviet Union did themselves at the height of the Cold War ."
