Russia and the U.S. activated a new arms control treaty earlier this month, but Russia is already reconsidering its

participation.

After months of difficult negotiations both at home and abroad, President Obama’s “New Start” treaty began on Feb. 5 after being approved by the Senate just before Christmas. The treaty stipulates that Russia and the U.S. cannot have more than 1,500 strategic warheads, down from 2,200.

According to the New York Times, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the treaty was an example of “clear-eyed cooperation that is in everybody’s interests.”

However, the Russian government is now worried about its country’s security because the treaty “does not prevent the U.S. from building news missile defense systems.” (AP)

According to Russian news agencies, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Feb. 7, “If the U.S. increases the qualitative and quantitative potential of its missile defense … a question will arise whether Russia should further abide by the treaty or would have to take other measures to respond to the situation, including military-technical measures.”

Within the next month or two, it is likely that the world will watch this conflict play out. The treaty says that within the next 45 days, the U.S. and Russia must share details on the number of nuclear weapons, as well as the weapons’ location and arsenal technicalities.

If the U.S. does build up its missile defense systems, Russia could withdraw from the treaty, bringing problems to what the New York Times calls “the most tangible foreign policy achievement of Mr. Obama’s two years in office.”