WASHINGTON, February 4. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s consent to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal regarding the New START treaty would help to restart arms control negotiations, US anti-war and anti-nuclear movement representative Greg Mello, who heads the Los Alamos Study Group in the state of New Mexico, has told TASS.
Commenting on the looming expiry of the New START treaty limitations due on February 5, he said: "At this time, it appears that President Trump will not sign onto the one-year extension of the New START limits on deployed strategic weapons that was offered by President Putin."
"Doing so would cost the US nothing, would not require require technical negotiations, would lower tensions somewhat, and would re-start arms control diplomacy," he continued.
"Regardless of what happens between now and Friday, the US should do all it can to lower mutual tensions in the coming weeks and months. As far as I can tell, Russia is already doing that," the expert 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.