‘Big mistake’ | Biden says Putin’s decision to withdraw from nuclear treaty ‘not very responsible’

United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned the decision of Russian president Vladimir Putin to suspend Moscow’s participation in the US-Russia nuclear arms control treaty, calling it a “big mistake”.

The US president made the comment as he ended his wartime visit to Europe in Poland which was aimed at improving partnerships with allies on the eastern flank of NATO. Biden was holding a meeting with eastern European leaders and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Warsaw.

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"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," said the US president, adding that he had seen "no evidence" of any change in Moscow’s posture on the use of nuclear arms.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the participation of Moscow in the New START arms treaty will be suspended during a state of the nation address, a decision which had received approval from Russian lawmakers on Wednesday. Through the 2010 deal, the two nations committed to limiting their stockpile of nuclear warheads.

‘You’re the frontlines of our collective defence’, says Biden to Bucharest Nine

Addressing Bucharest Nine, which includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, Biden said, “You’re the frontlines of our collective defence.”

“And you know, better than anyone, what’s at stake in this conflict. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world,” he further stated.

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Addressing the anxiety of these countries that Putin may take military action against them next if he achieves success in Ukraine, Biden said that the mutual defence pact of NATO is “sacred” and that “we will defend literally every inch of NATO”. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said, “We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security. We must break the cycle of Russian aggression.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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