WASHINGTON, February 4. /TASS/. Russia has the potential and experience required for quickly boosting its nuclear potential if the New START treaty expires, former Deputy NATO Secretary General and US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller has told the US Senate.

In her words, US President Donald Trump should give a positive answer to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to extend the New START treaty limitations for another year. "I testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December that I support a one year extension of the limits of New START," she said.

In her opinion, when the New START expires, the US will have to enter a simultaneous race against Russia and China, which has been rapidly boosting its nuclear arsenal. "My bottom line is that it does not serve us national security and trust to have to address the Chinese nuclear buildup while simultaneously facing a rapid Russian upload campaign," the former deputy NATO secretary general said.

"The Russians have the capacity and experience to succeed in such a campaign, it will be much better for us to keep them limited for at least another year while we continue to plan and prepare for the Chinese threat. Remaining under New Start limits for a year does not prejudice our plannings and preparation to upload," she added.

About the treaty

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) was signed in 2010 and entered into force on February 5, 2011. The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and strategic bombers. The Treaty was signed for a term of ten years, until February 5, 2021, with a possibility of a further extension upon the parties’ mutual consent.

In February 2021, Moscow and Washington extended the treaty, described by the Russian authorities as the golden standard in the sphere of disarmament, for the maximal possible five years.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21, 2023 that Russia was suspending its participation in New START but was not withdrawing from it. The president stressed that before returning to the discussion of the extension of the treaty, the Russian side wanted to understand how New START will take into account not only the United States’ arsenals but also stockpiles of other NATO nuclear powers, namely the United Kingdom and France.

On September 22, 2025, Putin stated at a meeting with the Russian Security Council that Russia was prepared to continue adhering to the treaty's quantitative restrictions for another year after the New START expires in February. However, he emphasized that this measure is only viable if Washington follows suit.