Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is willing to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) with the United States for one year, provided US President Donald Trump agrees to the same. The treaty, signed in 2010, is the last remaining arms control pact between the two nuclear powers, limiting deployed strategic warheads as well as the missiles and bombers capable of carrying them. The accord is set to expire on February 5, 2026.
Addressing Russia’s Security Council, Putin stated that an extension would serve the interests of global non-proliferation and create an opportunity for talks with Washington on a potential successor agreement. He emphasized that Russia would continue to adhere to the treaty’s numerical limits for one year after February 5, 2026, but only if the United States acts similarly and does not take steps undermining the existing balance of deterrence capabilities.
The New Start treaty, signed by then-President Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, caps each country at 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 missiles and bombers. It also provides for comprehensive on-site inspections, though none have occurred since 2020. In February 2023, Putin suspended Russia’s participation, citing the presence of US inspectors at Russian nuclear sites as unacceptable amid US and NATO statements on defeating Moscow in Ukraine. Despite this, Russia has not abandoned the treaty and continues to observe the limits on its nuclear arsenal.
So far, Washington and Moscow have not initiated discussions on renewing or replacing the accord, with the ongoing war in Ukraine posing a significant obstacle. Former US President Trump has expressed interest in negotiating a new arms control agreement that could include China, but no formal talks have begun.
