KEY POINTS
- Putin offers to extend the nuclear warhead limits pact with the US under the New START treaty.
- The treaty, signed in 2010, caps each side at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
- Russia suspended participation in 2023 but has continued to respect the limits voluntarily.
- Putin warns of “military and technical measures” if US or allies deploy new missile systems near Russia.
- Kremlin accuses NATO and Western states of seeking “absolute superiority” in strategic arms.
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered to keep observing nuclear warhead limits agreed with the United States under the New START treaty for one year after its expiry in February 2026, provided Washington does the same.
The New START treaty, signed in 2010, is the last remaining arms control pact between the two nuclear powers, capping each side at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. The deal is due to expire on 5 February 2026, and talks on extending or replacing it have not yet begun.
“Russia is prepared to continue adhering to the central quantitative limitations of the New START Treaty for one year after 5 February 2026,” Putin said at a televised Security Council meeting, according to state media.
The Russian President added that the measure was intended to avoid “a strategic arms race” but would only be viable if the United States acted in a similar manner.
Nuclear Limits and Conditions
Russia froze participation in the treaty in 2023, citing deteriorating ties with Washington, but has continued to voluntarily respect its numerical limits.
Putin emphasised that Moscow’s offer would depend on the United States refraining from actions that could “undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrence potentials.”
The Kremlin’s proposal appears to mark a shift, as Moscow had previously insisted it would only engage with Washington on arms control if broader relations improved. There was no immediate response from the US administration.
Warning of Military Response
Putin stressed that Russia remained capable of countering any security threat, saying Moscow would respond “not with words, but with military and technical measures.”
He cited the recent decision to abandon a moratorium on deploying ground-launched intermediate and shorter-range missiles as an example of necessary action, Russian news agency TASS reported.
He warned that US and allied deployments of missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific posed “direct threats” to Russia’s security.
“Our plans to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities are being developed with the changing global situation in mind, and they are being implemented fully and in a timely manner,” Putin said.
Criticism of the West
The Russian leader also accused Western powers of seeking “absolute, overwhelming superiority” in the strategic sphere. He said destabilising military programmes and doctrinal concepts from NATO countries had undermined global parity.
“We emphasised the extreme danger of further deteriorating the situation and repeatedly put forward specific ideas for correcting it together. However, our warnings and initiatives did not receive a clear response,” Putin told members of his Security Council.
Future of Arms Control
The United States and Russia hold the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, and both could exceed treaty limits if New START lapses, according to Reuters news agency. Analysts warn that failure to extend or replace the deal would remove the last binding constraint on their strategic nuclear forces.
With just over four months left before the treaty’s expiry, there have been no substantive talks between Moscow and Washington, largely due to sharp divisions over the war in Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has spoken of seeking a new arms control agreement that could also include China, but Beijing has rejected the idea, Reuters reported.
Putin said Russia would closely monitor US nuclear and missile defence activities, including plans to develop interceptors in space.
“The practical implementation of such destabilising actions could nullify our efforts to maintain the status quo in the field of START,” he warned.
