“What will become more important for US President Donald Trump – the internal political struggle or the future of collective security – will become clear when he decides on the fate of the START Treaty.” This opinion was expressed by a member of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Sergei Zheleznyak, commenting on the statement of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives on the need to extend the Treaty.
The politician emphasized: “Russia continues to urge the United States to sit at the negotiating table and discuss further steps to maintain stability and security. We made every possible effort to preserve the INF Treaty that the United States destroyed. Now, the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty is a big question.
The US’s consistent withdrawal from international agreements over the past few years has demonstrated Washington’s intention to build up its military arsenals, including nuclear ones. A recent report on the American side’s readiness to break the Open Skies Agreement is also evidence of US efforts to conceal the development and production of new types of weapons that are obviously banned internationally. ”
“The Democrats’ call to save the START Treaty, rather, looks like one of the steps directed against President Trump. Opponents in Congress are looking for the weaknesses of the current head of the White House in order to convict him of incompetence, expose him as a failed politician and demonstrate to society the need to change the head of state. In turn, Trump will be forced to respond to the actions of congressmen and the position of the United States on the issue of preserving the START will depend on what he chooses as his main goal. Unfortunately, US foreign policy steps are directly dependent on the internal alignment of forces and are often impulsive and destructive, ”said the parliamentarian.