Biden on Putin's New START Pullout Says Confident They 'Will Be Able to Work It Out'

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said he is confident the United States and Russia will be able to work out issues related to arms control regardless of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend Russia's participation in the New START treaty.

Putin officially announced Moscow was pulling out of its long-running talks with the United States for a New START treaty during his Tuesday address to the Federal Assembly. He also accused the United States of developing new types of nuclear weapons and considering new nuclear weapons tests.

"Not sure what else he [Putin] was able to say in his speech at the moment, but I think it's a mistake and I'm confident we'll be able to work it out," Biden told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday.

Biden further said he thinks arms control agreements are very much in both parties' interest and the world’s interest.

The US president added that the United States has not seen any change in Russia's nuclear posture or evidence that Putin is thinking of using nuclear weapons or international continental ballistic missiles.

On Wednesday, the Russian parliament's lower and upper houses approved a bill to halt Russia's participation in the New START treaty.

New START, in effect since February 5, 2011, is the last remaining legally binding agreement between the US and Russia — the two countries with the largest nuclear capabilities. Under the treaty, the US and Russia have been required to reduce their nuclear arsenal to a total of 700 missiles, 800 launchers and 1,550 deployed warheads.

In June 2021, Putin and US President Joe Biden signed a joint US-Russia statement on strategic stability, where they pledged to "lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures" through the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue and reaffirmed the principle that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

Earlier that year, the Biden administration agreed to extend the New START accord to February 5, 2026.