The US decision to withdraw from the New Start nuclear deal but also the surprise visit of US President Joe Biden in Kiev last Monday has caused new tension in already strained US-Russian relations. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin they have been engaged in a verbal brawl for two days now throwing accusations at each other about the war in Ukraine.

Yesterday’s sudden decision by the Russian president to withdraw from the New Start agreement caused a wave of reactions from the countries of the West, with the American president calling the decision a “big mistake” from Warsaw, stressing that Kiev remains strong. At the same time, Vladimir Putin, in a fiesta he set up in an entire stadium, called on the crowds to shout “Russia, Russia” and show their support for those who he said were defending the motherland.

“They fight heroically, courageously, bravely. We are proud of them,” Putin said at the “Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland” event, he shouted and added: “Today they have the support of the whole country,” Putin said of Russian forces in Ukraine, adding that he had just been informed by the military commanders about the situation at the front. “When we are together, we have no equals. To the unity of the Russian people!”

At the same time, the Russian president is trying to strengthen ties with China, and in fact just a few days after Washington’s new warning to Beijing not to help the Kremlin militarily. “China’s international cooperation with Russia, as we have repeatedly emphasized, plays a very important role in the stability of the international situation,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.

A few hours after the Putin fiesta, the US President praising the leaders of the “Bucharest Nine” sent his own message to the Russian side during the meeting he had with the leaders of the Eastern side of NATO stressing that “we will defend every centimeter of NATO”.

“The US commitment to NATO is ‘sacred’,” he said while confirming “unwavering” support for Ukraine. He pointed out how what is at stake is not only Ukraine, but democracy and it’s freedom.

“You are the front line of our collective defense and you know better than anyone what is at stake in this conflict. Not only for Ukraine but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and throughout the world,” Biden characteristically stated at the top of the meeting.

“Article 5 is a sacred commitment that the United States has made. We will defend literally every centimeter of NATO, every centimeter of NATO,” he added.

“Withdrawing from the treaty will not bring nuclear war any closer”

However, for its part, Russia insists that its withdrawal from the New START treaty will not bring nuclear war closer.

“I don’t think the decision to suspend the New START treaty brings us closer to nuclear war,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The top defense ministry official, Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Ilyin, followed suit, telling the State Duma that Russia would continue to abide by the agreed limits on nuclear delivery systems – that is, missiles and strategic bombers, as reported by the Russian state news agency Ria news.

The Kremlin, however, argued earlier today through government spokesman Dmitry Peskov that the future of the treaty will depend on the West’s position. “Everything will depend on the position of the West,” the representative said characteristically and emphasized that as soon as it is ready to take into account Russia’s concerns, the situation will change.

“Time passes, conditions change, and here it is very important for Russia to do everything to ensure its own security, including issues of strategic stability and arms control,” he said, adding that it is also “very important for Russia to maintain a patient approach” waiting for the rivals “to mature for a normal dialogue”.