The G7 Responds to Russia’s START Suspension and Nuclear Threats
The G7 nations expressed regret over Russia’s move to suspend the Agreement on Measures to Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Weapons, commonly known as START or START III. They urged Moscow to return to the agreement and to fully implement its provisions. This stance was outlined in a joint statement on nuclear disarmament issued at the Hiroshima summit and signals continued Western concern about Russia’s strategic posture (G7 Hiroshima statement, cited by Western capitals).
“We deeply regret Russia’s decision to undermine START and urge Russia to return to full implementation of the agreement,” the document notes. The leaders also cautioned about China’s nuclear program, calling attention to activities that lack transparency and constructive dialogue, which they view as heightening regional and global risk (G7 communique from Hiroshima).
In related commentary, the US ambassador to Moscow, Lynn Tracy, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia. She underscored that the United States remains bound by, and prepared to uphold, the terms of the treaty as part of a broader approach to strategic stability (US ambassador remarks, Moscow).
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty stands as the principal bilateral framework limiting the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, the two nations with the largest stockpiles. Russia decided to suspend its participation in late February 2023, a move that has shaped the current trajectory of arms control talks. START III is set to expire on February 5, 2026, with a potential five-year extension available by mutual consent of both sides. Canadian and American policy analysts note that any renewal would depend on wider security assurances and verification mechanisms that maintain transparency and trust between the world’s two leading nuclear powers (START Treaty overview, policy analyses).