Kremlin Awaits Trump’s Response on New START Treaty Extension
(MENAFN) The Kremlin announced Thursday that US President Donald Trump has yet to reply to Russia’s proposal for voluntarily maintaining central limits under the pivotal New START arms control treaty, which is set to expire in early 2026.
In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed Moscow’s willingness to uphold the treaty’s central quantitative ceilings for one year beyond its expiration date of February 6, 2026. Putin emphasized that this continuation would only be feasible if the US “acts in a similar manner and does not take steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence potentials.”
Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed ongoing communication between Moscow and Washington but noted, “After all, my colleague in Washington announced that Trump would personally respond to this initiative. But so far, there's been no response from the American side on this matter.”
The New START Treaty, effective since February 2011, restricts the number of strategic nuclear warheads each side can deploy to 1,550. It also caps the number of launchers and nuclear-capable heavy bombers at 800, while establishing mutual inspection and notification protocols.
Following Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, the two nations agreed to extend the treaty through February 2026. However, Putin declared Moscow’s suspension of participation in February 2023.
Peskov also addressed reports about the US potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, stating Russia will respond “in an appropriate manner.” He further described intelligence sharing between Kyiv and Washington as “nothing new,” noting, “But it's clear that intelligence is being shared, or rather, not exchanged, but supplied, and that all NATO and US infrastructure is being used to collect and transmit intelligence to Ukraine.”
Though Peskov acknowledged these are media reports, he warned that such reports “don't just happen out of nowhere.”
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