Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russia on Wednesday said it was still awaiting a proper reply from the US on Vladimir Putin’s proposal to jointly adhere to the Russian-U.S. arms control treaty, which will expire in under two months.
New START, expiring on February 5, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, along with the deployment of land-based and submarine-based missiles and bombers for delivering them.
“We have less than 100 days left before the expiry of New START,”
said Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Reuters reported.
“We are waiting for a response,”
Shoigu told reporters during a visit to Hanoi that Moscow’s proposal offers a chance to stop the ongoing “destructive movement” in nuclear arms control.
What proposal did Putin put forward regarding New START?
In September, Putin proposed voluntarily upholding the treaty limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons for an additional year.
“Russia is prepared to continue adhering to the central numerical limits under the New START Treaty for one year after February 5, 2026,”
“Subsequently, based on an analysis of the situation, we will make a decision on whether to maintain these voluntary, self-imposed restrictions.”
Putin stated that his proposal aims to promote global non-proliferation and could encourage discussions with Washington on arms control.
“This measure will only be viable if the United States acts in a similar manner, and does not take steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence capabilities,”
Putin said.
Is the US prepared to resume formal arms talks?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded that Putin’s proposal sounded “pretty good.” Trump said in October it sounded “like a good idea.”
The new U.S. National Security Strategy states that the Trump administration aims to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia,” which essentially means restarting talks on strategic nuclear arms control.
When did the New START sign between the two countries?
New START was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Russia and the U.S. jointly possess over 10,000 nuclear warheads, accounting for 87% of the world’s nuclear arsenal. China ranks as the third-largest nuclear power with approximately 600 warheads, based on data from the Federation of American Scientists.
The arms control treaties between Moscow and Washington originated from fears of nuclear conflict following the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. They aimed to increase transparency about each other’s arsenals to minimise misunderstandings and decelerate the arms race.
