US Silence on New START Triggers Moscow Warnings and Global Alarm

Washington has still not responded to Moscow on extending the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms (New START), prompting the Russian Foreign Ministry to issue several high-profile statements the day before. Some US officials reacted by noting that, from the Russian perspective, this silence resembles an act of hostility. In their view, the United States is setting a negative example that could ultimately undermine the foundations of strategic stability. Retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor commented on the situation by saying that Washington is discarding past structures "one hundred percent,” adding that "to the Russians, this looks as if we are preparing for an attack.”