A US-based NGO head, Daryl Kimball, has called on former President Donald Trump to accept Russia’s offer to continue abiding by the New START nuclear treaty, which could prevent a costly arms race and ease tensions between the two nations. Kimball argued that Moscow’s willingness to extend the treaty beyond its 2026 expiration date represents a positive step for arms control and could pave the way for future negotiations on new agreements. The expert urged both sides to engage in talks on reducing intermediate-range and non-strategic nuclear arms, as well as ballistic missile defense systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized Moscow’s readiness to continue adhering to the treaty’s caps for at least one year beyond its expiration date, calling the potential abandonment of the agreement a ‘mistaken and short-sighted’ step. Signed in 2010, the New START treaty capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for both Russia and the US at 1,550. This agreement, which was set to expire in 2021, was extended for five years to 2026. However, Russia formally suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023 over the US military aid to Ukraine, although it stated it would continue to abide by the limits set out in the treaty. Washington stopped informing Moscow about the location and status of its strategic weapons under the administration of former US President Joe Biden, further complicating the situation.