Antonov said that Russian inspections on START are impossible due to US sanctions

The restrictive measures of the United States and its allies against Moscow create conditions under which Russia's inspections in the United States under the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START-3) are "difficult, if not blocked." This was stated by Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov in an interview with TASS.

“Since the freeze in 2020 of START inspection activities due to COVID-19, we have been in active dialogue with the Americans on the issue of its resumption. We used appropriate diplomatic channels for this, including the platform of the Bilateral Consultative Commission. We have managed to resolve a number of organizational and technical aspects related to conducting inspections during a pandemic. However, this process was seriously complicated by the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Washington,” the head of the Russian diplomatic mission noted.

According to him, the main difficulties are the lack of normal air communication with the United States, the closure of airspace by American allies for the passage of Russian aircraft, as well as problems with obtaining transit visas for members of inspection teams and flight crews.

Ryabkov called "non-obvious" the prospect of a dialogue on strategic offensive arms with the United States Politics

Russia and the United States signed the START-3 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 2010. Since its entry into force in 2011, it has been in effect for ten years, renewable for another five. After the deadline expired in 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified the agreement to extend the treaty until February 5, 2026.

Under the treaty, each party may have no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads. The number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) ​​and strategic missile-carrying bombers should not exceed 700 units, and the number of deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs and SLBMs and heavy bombers - 800 units. To control compliance with these positions, the parties agreed to conduct inspections.

At the end of May, against the backdrop of Russia's military actions in Ukraine and the subsequent deterioration of relations with the West, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the continuation of the dialogue on the extension of START-3 with the United States. Later, the US State Department announced plans to extend and expand the agreement, but US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan noted that under the current conditions, dialogue is unlikely.

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On August 8, Russia temporarily withdrew its facilities from START-3 inspections. The Foreign Ministry explained that the United States is trying to achieve a restart of inspections after a stop during the pandemic, but does not take into account the conditions of "existing realities" and deprives Russia of the right to conduct inspections on US territory.