Bruce Gagnon, who is the coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, made the remarks in a telephone interview with Press TV on Sunday.

Last week, a group of Russian officials inspected the US strategic nuclear arsenal. The surprise inspection of the nuclear arsenal in San Francisco was agreed to under the 2010 New START.

“I think the visit by the Russian nuclear weapons inspectors is interesting. It’s a message from Russia that we know that you are trying to surround us, Russia, with the so-called missile defense systems,” Gagnon said.

“In fact, the Russians are so worried about that they are talking about a continuation of the missile defense program that might require them to pull out the START treaty,” he added.

“I believe the overall strategy of the United States is to… get Russia or China to reduce their number of nuclear weapons to a point where their missile defense system becomes more effective in a first-strike attack,” Gagnon stated.

Under the New START, Russia and the US each agreed to reduce their nuclear warheads to 1,550 by 2018.

Russia strongly objects to US missile plans in Eastern Europe and has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the treaty, which, among other things, allows 18 surprise inspections by both sides each year.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Gagnon said, “This militarism of the US, which I think is really corporatism. The corporations are taking control of our government; they are running our foreign policy; they are privatizing our foreign policy… and their goal is take over the parts of the world that are not in full collaboration with corporate capitalism, corporate globalization… and they want ultimately massive militarization because the weapons corporations benefit so.”

PressTV