WASHINGTON, February 5. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump should have immediately accepted Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal to extend the restrictions of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for another year, independent US presidential candidate Diane Sare told TASS.
"President Trump should have responded to President Putin’s proposal in the affirmative as soon as it was put forward," she said. "I believe a one-year extension, during which time the Ukraine proxy war may finally end, would allow time for the American side to develop a more constructive approach to relations with the other leading nuclear power on the planet, namely Russia," Sare pointed out.
According to the politician, who announced in January that she would run as an independent candidate in the 2028 presidential election, "great damage has been done to US-Russia relations over the last 13 years, particularly following the color revolution in Ukraine." "Under these circumstances, trying to negotiate a new agreement would be nearly impossible," she noted.
The treaty expired on February 5, 2026. Putin announced in September 2025 at a meeting with the Russian Security Council that Moscow is ready to continue adhering to the quantitative restrictions under New START for another year after its expiration. However, he noted that this measure would only be viable if Washington acted in a similar manner. Responding to a TASS question on October 5, 2025, US President Donald Trump called Putin’s proposal a good idea. However, the US has not taken any practical action in response to Russia's proposals.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, given the current circumstances, Moscow believes the parties are no longer bound by the treaty's obligations and can choose their next steps freely. The ministry added that Russia intends to act "responsibly and in a balanced manner," basing its approach to strategic arms reduction on a thorough analysis of US military policy and the overall situation in the strategic sphere.