President Biden Condemns Putin’s Suspension of Arms Control Treaty, Calls it a “Big Mistake

President Joe Biden has strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to suspend his country’s involvement in the last remaining arms control treaty with the U.S. Biden made the remarks while arriving at the Polish Presidential Palace in Warsaw ahead of a meeting with leaders of the Bucharest Nine group of eastern European nations and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The move comes after a weeklong barrage of Russian missiles and kamikaze drones destroyed nearly a third of Ukraine’s power stations, plunging millions of Ukrainians into darkness ahead of winter. Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow was suspending participation in New START, a key nuclear arms control treaty between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

In response to the threat to civilians, President Biden directed the Pentagon to find a way to get Ukraine America’s most advanced missile defense system, the Patriot. This move had previously been dismissed by the administration. Three administration officials have confirmed that the directive jump-started an effort at the Pentagon to identify and deliver a Patriot missile battery that the US could spare.

When asked for his reaction to Putin’s move, Biden said, “big mistake.” He also expressed his concern about the potential for Iran to be preparing to develop nuclear weapons. Biden urged all countries to adhere to the New START treaty and to work together to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons.