Putin Offers Trump One-Year Extension to Nuclear Weapons Treaty/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow will continue following New START nuclear limits for one year beyond the treaty’s 2026 expiration. Putin called on Washington to reciprocate, warning that U.S. missile defense plans could destabilize the balance. The decision offers a rare signal of restraint amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West.
Putin Extends Nuclear Limits + Quick Look
- Russia to honor New START limits until Feb. 2027.
- Treaty caps: 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads, 700 delivery systems.
- Putin: decision avoids arms race and unpredictability.
- Conditional pledge: valid only if U.S. also complies.
- Arms control experts call move “positive and important.”
- Trump and Putin discussed nuclear weapons at July summit in Alaska.
- Russia wary of U.S. missile defense expansion and space interceptors.
- On-site inspections under New START have been dormant since 2020.
- Treaty was signed in 2010 by Obama and Medvedev.
- Tensions rise with Ukraine war, NATO airspace disputes, and drone incursions.
Deep Look: Putin Extends Nuclear Arms Limits Despite Treaty Expiration
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Moscow will continue to observe nuclear weapons limits under the New START treaty for an additional year after its scheduled expiration in February 2026, offering a rare signal of restraint in a period of rising global tensions.
A Voluntary Extension
The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, is the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. It restricts each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems (missiles and bombers).
The treaty is set to expire on February 5, 2026, with no successor agreement in place. In televised remarks, Putin said Russia would voluntarily continue following its limits for one year after expiration:
“To avoid provoking a further strategic arms race and to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint, we believe it is justified to try to maintain the status quo during this turbulent period.”
He added that Moscow would decide later whether to continue observing the limits beyond 2027.
Conditional Restraint
Putin emphasized that Russia’s pledge is conditional on U.S. behavior. He warned that the commitment “will only be viable if the United States acts in a similar manner and does not take steps that undermine or disrupt the balance of deterrence.”
He specifically pointed to Washington’s plans to expand missile defense systems, including the possibility of space-based interceptors, as a potential trigger for Russian retaliation.
“The practical implementation of such destabilizing actions could undermine our efforts to maintain the status quo,” Putin warned.
Reactions from Arms Control Advocates
Daryl G. Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, welcomed the announcement as “an important and positive move” that could keep space open for further dialogue between Moscow and Washington.
Many experts worry that without limits, both countries could accelerate nuclear modernization programs, fueling an arms race.
U.S. Perspective
President Donald Trump, who met Putin in Alaska in July, has acknowledged the looming expiration, calling it “a big problem for the world when you take off nuclear restrictions.”
Trump has also been skeptical of arms control in general but has shown interest in discussions with Russia. His administration has so far not announced a formal negotiating track for a successor treaty.
New START: A Troubled History
The treaty once allowed for robust on-site inspections to verify compliance. However, inspections have been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later political tensions.
In February 2023, Putin suspended Russia’s participation in New START, citing U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO’s stance against Moscow. Even then, Russia said it would voluntarily respect the treaty’s caps and continue notifying the U.S. about missile launches.
Rising Global Tensions
Putin’s extension comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues into its fourth year and as tensions with NATO countries escalate. Recent incidents include:
- Russian drones landing on Polish soil.
- Estonia accusing Russian fighter jets of violating its airspace.
- European leaders warning that the war could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders.
In this environment, the survival of even partial arms control limits offers a fragile form of stability.
A Legacy of Arms Control at Risk
Since the Cold War, bilateral arms control treaties such as START I, START II, and INF have helped keep U.S.-Russia nuclear competition in check. The potential collapse of New START without replacement would mark the first time since 1972 that no arms control treaty governs the arsenals of the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
Putin suggested that Russia’s voluntary compliance could help foster a “substantive strategic dialogue” with Washington, provided there is progress in normalizing broader bilateral relations.
Looking Ahead
The one-year extension buys time but does not resolve the fundamental question: will Washington and Moscow negotiate a new treaty, or is the era of arms control coming to an end?
For now, the world’s security rests on voluntary restraint — a fragile commitment vulnerable to the shifting currents of U.S.-Russia relations and the geopolitics of war in Europe.
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