On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would suspend its involvement in the New START treaty, a nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia. The move has been met with alarm from Western leaders, who fear it could lead to an increase in global tensions.

The New START treaty was signed in 2010 and limits both countries to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each. It also includes provisions for mutual inspections of each other’s nuclear facilities.

Putin’s announcement comes at a time when relations between Russia and the West are already strained due to ongoing disputes over Ukraine and other issues. In his speech to the Russian parliament on Tuesday, Putin accused the West of trying to “finish us off forever” by attempting to contain Russia’s power and influence. He also said that if necessary, Russia would be ready to test new nuclear weapons in response to what he sees as Western aggression.

This latest move by Putin is seen by many as an attempt to reassert Russian dominance on the world stage. It is also likely a response to recent US efforts to expand its own nuclear capabilities, including plans for a new long-range missile system that could potentially reach targets anywhere in the world within minutes.

The suspension of the New START treaty could have serious implications for global security if it leads to an arms race between Russia and the United States. With both countries possessing vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons, any escalation of tensions could have catastrophic consequences for humanity.

It remains unclear what will happen next or how this latest development will affect future relations between Russia and the West. However, one thing that we do know is that Vladimir Putin’s decision has certainly increased fears of a potential conflict involving nuclear weapons.