“It’s a big mistake to do that. Not very responsible. But I don’t read into that that he’s thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that,” Biden told ABC News in an interview.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter.
However, Russia said it will stick to agreed limits on nuclear missiles and keep informing the United States about changes in its deployments despite the suspension. When asked in the interview if the treaty’s suspension made the world less safe, Biden said: “Well look, I think we’re less safe when we walk away from arms control agreements that are very much in both parties’ interests and in the world’s interest.”Article content“The idea that somehow this means they’re thinking of using nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missile, there’s no evidence of that,” Biden said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Russia’s announced suspension was “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it made the world more dangerous, urging Putin to reconsider. Moscow has demanded that British and French nuclear weapons targeted against Russia be included in the arms control framework, a position seen as a non-starter for Washington after over half a century of bilateral nuclear treaties with Russia.