Russia suspends participation in New START, not withdrawing from it - Putin

MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Russia is suspending its participation in the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) with the United States but is not withdrawing from it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"They want to deal us a strategic defeat and are meddling with our nuclear facilities. In this context, I have to declare today that Russia is suspending its participation in the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms," Putin said in his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday.

"There is no relation between the New START aspects and the conflict in Ukraine and other hostile acts of the West in relation to our country," he said.