News - Middle East: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to reverse its decision and participate in the New START nuclear treaty.

However, Blinken described Russia's military campaign in Ukraine as “a war of aggression,” indicating Washington is not seeking a decrease in tensions with Moscow.

Blinken made the remarks on Thursday as he talked briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 conference of foreign ministers in New Delhi, India.

Moscow has accused Washington of being in non-compliance with its provisions and of trying to undermine Russia's national security. It has conditioned its return to the treaty with Washington listening to Moscow's position.

President Vladimir Putin announced last month Russia’s suspension of the bilateral nuclear arms control treaty under which Russia and the US committed to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, which accounts for 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads, and a maximum of 700 long-range missiles and bombers.

Blinken called Russia’s decision “irresponsible” and urged the Russian leadership to reverse it.

“Mutual compliance is in the interest of both our countries,” Blinken claimed he told Lavrov. He added, “that no matter what else is happening in the world, in our relationship, the United States is always ready to engage and act on strategic arms control, just as the United States and the Soviet Union did even at the height of the Cold War.”

"It's kind of amazing, but this dunderhead doesn't realize - or he does and it's just beyond his ability to comprehend - that we were never in a shooting war with Russia during the Cold War and we are now," an American journalist and analyist said. 
"And no matter what Blinken or Biden or anyone else wants to believe, the Russians know it. And they can be depended upon to act accordingly when they need to," he added. 

The Kremlin has said that US policy is aimed at undermining Russia's national security, which “directly contradicts the fundamental principles and understandings enshrined in the preamble of the treaty.”

However, Russia has said it is not opposed to resuming participation in the New START should the US policy change.

"The decision to suspend participation in New START can be reversed. To do this, Washington must show the political will and make good-faith efforts for general de-escalation," the Russian foreign ministry has said.