persuade Russia to accept US withdrawal from the treaty, both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had tried, without evidence, to convince him of an emerging nuclear threat from Iran. On 1 March 2018, Russian president Vladimir Putin at the time, in an address to the Federal Assembly, announced the development of a series of technologically new missile systems in response to U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty. His statements were referred to by an anonymous US official under the Trump administration as largely boastful untruths. He said that the U.S. decision triggered him to order an increase in Russia's nuclear capabilities, designed to counterbalance U.S. ones. As recently as 2021, Putin cited U.S. withdrawal among his grievances against the West: “We tried to partner with the West for many years, but the partnership was not accepted, it didn’t work,” often citing it as one of America’s great post-Cold War sins. References External links Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, official State Department site, includes the text of the treaty and the 1974 Protocol. US Announcement of withdrawal (2001) 1972 in the Soviet Union 1972 in the United States Arms control treaties Cold War treaties Missile defense Soviet Union–United States treaties Nuclear weapons governance Treaties concluded in 1972 Treaties entered into force in 1972 Presidency of Richard Nixon 1972 in politics Nuclear technology treaties Russia–United States military relations Treaties of Belarus Treaties of Kazakhstan Treaties of Ukraine