Vladimir Putin delivered a state of the nation address on Tuesday. In doing so, he swept under the rug a missile test that took place near Biden’s visit. As the US broadcaster “CNN” reports, citing two anonymous sources, the test failed on Monday.
Russia had informed the United States in advance about the planned test of a missile known in the West as “Satan II”. The Sarmat missile is an ICBM capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads.
In the past, successful tests were proudly communicated by Vladimir Putin, as in April 2022. Not so this time. The USA therefore assumes that the test of the mega missile was unsuccessful.
Instead, Putin spoke in his speech about suspending the “New Start” disarmament treaty with the United States. “New Start” is the only remaining major arms control agreement between the United States and Russia. It limits the nuclear arsenals of both countries to 800 delivery systems and 1,550 operational warheads each. Up to 18 verification visits may be held per year.
After the speech, however, he backtracked a bit: The maximum limit for delivery systems and warheads would still be adhered to.
The United States had been planning their president’s brief visit for months and only informed the Russians about the forthcoming visit shortly beforehand.