Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended Russia’s role in the New START treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia. Putin made the pledge during his annual State of the Nation address earlier today, where he gave no sign Russia is preparing to end the war in Ukraine. Putin accused Western nations of provoking the conflict.

President Vladimir Putin: “The Western elites do not conceal their goals: as they say — it’s a direct quote — to bring Russia a 'strategic defeat.' What does that mean for us? It means to end us once and for all. It means they plan to turn a local conflict into a global confrontation. We understand it exactly like that. We will react to it accordingly. This is because, in this case, it is about the very existence of our country.”