United States officials accused Russia of violating the New START Treaty.

The New START Treaty is the last remnant of post-Cold War nuclear arms control between the two nations. The treaty came into force in 2011, and in 2021 it was extended for five more years. It places a limit on the number of strategic warheads that the US and Russia can deploy, along with the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that can deliver those warheads.

The US said this week that Russia has refused to allow inspection activities in their territory, violating the agreement on the treaty.

Officials in the US have been scrambling to preserve the treaty, but relations with Moscow are at their worst in decades after the invasion of Ukraine. In August, Moscow suspended cooperation with inspections, blaming travel restrictions imposed by Washington and allies in the wake of the Russian invasion.

However, they said they were committed to complying with the provisions of the treaty.

State Department officials say there’s a “clear path” for Russia to comply by allowing inspections, and they’re ready to work with Moscow to resume the treaty’s stipulations. The treaty could expire in 2026 if a replacement or extension isn’t hammered out, and Moscow says that Washington is trying to inflict “strategic defeat” on Russia over the Ukraine invasion.

So that extension will be a hard-fought victory if managed.