It doesn’t mean Russia is withdrawing from the treaty entirely, Putin said. But Moscow will not allow NATO countries to inspect its nuclear arsenal, he said, accusing the alliance of helping Ukraine conduct drone strikes on Russian air bases that host strategic bombers, part of the country’s nuclear forces. “It’s entirely symbolic,” Erath said, since Russia had not been permitting inspections anyway. The move appears to be aimed at pressuring President Biden and allies to approach Moscow about ending the war in Ukraine, “so Russia can dictate the terms under which that would happen.” Still, Putin’s announcement has raised alarm among Western officials about the deterioration of nuclear disarmament efforts, at a time when tensions between the United States and Russia have reached a recent peak after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that “the whole arms control architecture has been dismantled,” adding, “I strongly encourage Russia to reconsider its decision.” Overstating the impact of the announcement carries risks, Erath said — particularly if the United States makes concessions that might signal to other countries that nuclear weapons are an effective form of diplomatic leverage. But Russia can’t afford an arms race, either. Mired in a costly conventional war in Ukraine, “the last thing they need is to try to get into a nuclear weapons-building competition with the U.S.,” Erath added. Blinken on Tuesday called Putin’s decision “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible.” “We’ll be watching carefully to see what Russia actually does,” he said. “We’ll, of course, make sure that in any event we are postured appropriately for the security of our own country and that of our allies.” John Hudson in Athens, Emily Rauhala in Brussels and Mary Ilyushina and Robyn Dixon in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.