Trump rejects Putin’s proposal to extend Nuclear deployment limits

United States President, Donald Trump has turned down a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to voluntarily extend limits on the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons following the expiration of the New START treaty.


The original Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was signed in 1991 between the United States and the Soviet Union, while New START was concluded in 2010 under former US President Barack Obama and then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It was last extended in 2021 but has now formally lapsed, leaving the world’s two largest nuclear powers without binding limits on their arsenals.


Speaking on Thursday, February 5, Trump said Washington is not interested in prolonging what he described as a poorly negotiated agreement, insisting instead on the need for a fresh, comprehensive deal to replace it. According to him, the focus should now shift to negotiating a new treaty that better reflects current global realities.
 

“Rather than extend New START, which was badly negotiated by the United States and grossly violated, we should have our nuclear experts work on a new, improved and modernised treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
 

The New START pact, which expired recently, was the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia. Its end removes caps on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems both countries can deploy, heightening fears of a renewed arms race.
 

Putin had earlier indicated that Russia was willing to observe the treaty’s limits for another year, provided the United States agreed to do the same. However, Washington declined the offer, despite discussions reportedly taking place between US and Russian officials on the sidelines of talks in Abu Dhabi over the war in Ukraine.
 

Trump has also reiterated his desire for China to be included in any future nuclear arms agreement, though Beijing has shown little appetite for participating in such negotiations.
 

Reacting to the treaty’s expiration, the Kremlin expressed regret, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Russia would continue to approach nuclear stability responsibly while prioritising its national interests.

Analysts have warned that the collapse of the last major US-Russia nuclear arms agreement could further weaken global efforts to limit the spread and use of nuclear weapons, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions and recent conflicts involving nuclear-armed states.