Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Tuesday that "suspends" Moscow's participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the United States, which remains the last agreement limiting the strategic nuclear arsenals of both states.

"It is provided that Russia suspends the operation of the Treaty between Russia and the United States on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, signed in Prague on April 8, 2010," reads the document published on the Russian Federation's legal information website.

The contract does not actually contain provisions that "suspends" its effect. Instead, there is only a clause on the possible withdrawal from the document of one of the parties if it "decides that extraordinary events related to the subject of the contract have made it difficult to realise its predominant interests".

So, until recently, the American side believed that Moscow's decision did not enter into force, since it mostly continued to fulfill its obligations under the treaty.

As reported, Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, voted on February 22 to suspend Russia's participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty with the United States. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to reconsider this decision, and US President Joe Biden called it a "big mistake."

The Russian side blames the U.S. for its decision to suspend the Treaty and assures that it is not going to increase its own nuclear arsenal in this regard.