Russia Holds Nuke Deal ‘Hostage’ to Deter US Support for Ukraine, Expert Panel Says

Even through the most fractious days of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union, and its successor Russian Federation, maintained compliance with nuclear arms accords and sustained contact in negotiating new treaties.
But Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine changed all that, with Moscow now refusing to decouple strategic arms control treaty compliance from U.S. support for the embattled nation.
“We are essentially in a situation of hostage-taking,” said Hanna Notte, a senior research associate at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.
Notte asserted that Russia has “ceased to compartmentalize” nuclear arms agreements “as ransom” to force the United States into backing away from its support of Ukraine….}