President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia announced on Monday that the Kremlin is prepared to prolong the limits on its deployed nuclear warheads and launchers for an additional year, provided the United States reciprocates. This move aims to preserve the crucial caps established by the last remaining arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington.
During a meeting with members of the security council at the Kremlin, Mr. Putin emphasized Russia’s desire to “avoid provoking a further strategic arms race.”
“We believe that this measure will become viable only if the United States acts in a similar way and does not take steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence potentials,” Mr. Putin stated in televised remarks.
This announcement underscores, in part, Mr. Putin’s efforts to steer clear of potentially massive new weapons expenditures, especially as Russia’s state budget faces increasing strain due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It also comes amid indications that President Trump has expressed frustration with Mr. Putin concerning stalled initiatives to end the Ukraine war and other bilateral discussions between Moscow and Washington.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, was initially signed in 2010 during a period of improved relations between Moscow and Washington, often referred to as a “reset.” The treaty restricted the number of strategic warheads that the United States and Russia could deploy to 1,550, and also placed limits on the number of launchers, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines, and bombers, capable of delivering them.
Initially a decade-long agreement, the treaty was extended for another five years in January 2021. While it is scheduled to expire next February, it has not been fully operational.
The treaty mandates that each party allow 18 inspections of nuclear sites annually by the other signatory and requires both sides to share data and notifications regarding the movements of their nuclear forces.
However, missile-site inspections were suspended by both the United States and Russia during the Covid-19 pandemic due to health concerns. Subsequently, in 2023, Mr. Putin declared Russia’s suspension of its participation in New START, refusing to reinstate inspections and ceasing to provide data on its nuclear forces.
At the time, the United States deemed Russia’s suspension of the treaty illegal.
In his recent comments on Monday, Mr. Putin did not indicate whether Russia would be willing to resume inspections or data sharing.
With the war in Ukraine continuing, Moscow and Washington have yet to initiate discussions for renewing the treaty or forging a new agreement. The Kremlin has attempted to separate bilateral matters, such as arms control and economic relations, from efforts to resolve the war – an approach that the White House has consistently rejected.
Against the backdrop of this impasse between Washington and Moscow, the extensive arms-control framework, meticulously constructed during and after the Cold War to manage nuclear weapons and other threats, has largely disintegrated.
New START remains the solitary strategic arms-control treaty in effect between the United States and Russia.
In 2019, citing alleged Russian breaches, the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This pact was designed to mitigate the risk of nuclear conflict in Europe by restricting the testing, deployment, and production of midrange missiles that could target cities with minimal warning. In August of this year, Russia announced it would no longer adhere to the treaty, though the United States had long asserted that Moscow had been violating its terms.
Following its suspension of participation in the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty in 2007, Russia formally withdrew from it in 2023. This treaty had previously set limits on the deployment of conventional military equipment across Europe, aiming to prevent surprise attacks.
Other significant agreements that have been abandoned include the Treaty on Open Skies, which facilitated unarmed aerial surveillance for transparency, and the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, which capped the number of missile defense systems each side could deploy. The U.S. withdrew from the ABM treaty in 2002, citing the necessity of protecting itself from “rogue states,” an explanation Russia dismissed.
During his remarks on Monday, Mr. Putin instructed for close observation of American initiatives to expand its missile defense system and the U.S. plans for deploying interceptors in space. American missile-defense efforts have historically been a point of contention for the Kremlin, which views them as a potential threat to its nuclear deterrent capabilities.
“We will proceed from the understanding that the practical implementation of such destabilizing actions could undermine our efforts to maintain the status quo in the strategic offensive arms sphere,” Mr. Putin declared concerning the U.S. missile defense plans. “We will respond accordingly.”