The US State Department said that the United States is always able to defend itself in the face of Russia's threats, while the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations called on Washington and Moscow for dialogue, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of the START treaty to limit strategic arms.
The regional spokesman for the US State Department, Sam Werberg, told Al-Jazeera that his country has enough details about Russia's nuclear arsenal, stressing his country's ability to defend itself against Russia.
And Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russia, starting today, Tuesday, the work of the "START" treaty to limit strategic arms.
In his annual address to the Russian Parliamentary Assembly, Putin asked the Russian Defense Ministry to prepare for nuclear weapons testing if the United States initiated it.
In his speech today, Tuesday, the Russian President added that his country faces an existential threat, blaming the West for what he described as the escalation in Ukraine, and stressed that it is impossible to defeat his country on the battlefield.
While the Kremlin confirmed that Moscow did not notify Washington in advance of its intention to suspend its participation in the "START" treaty;
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described the decision as unfortunate.
He added - in a statement after his meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, today, Tuesday, in Athens - that his country will follow up the situation to ensure its security and the security of its allies.
Blinken confirmed that Washington is ready to talk with Russia about limiting strategic weapons at any time.
And the US State Department confirmed that the United States does not see any reason to change its nuclear status after Putin suspended his country's participation in the "START" treaty.
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry said - in a statement - that Moscow will adhere to a responsible approach, and will continue to strictly comply with the quantitative restrictions imposed on strategic offensive weapons stipulated in the treaty.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the United States has long and largely violated the central provisions of the START treaty, and that its policy aims to undermine Russia's national security, noting that it will monitor the behavior of Washington and its allies in the field of strategic offensive weapons and international security.
The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, expressed regret at Moscow's decision to suspend its participation in the "START" treaty, and called on it to review its position.