United States President Donald Trump said Sunday he was prepared to maintain a nuclear arms treaty between Washington and Moscow, after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin proposed a one-year extension.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Trump said at the White House when a reporter asked for his response to Putin's offer to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, four months before its February 5, 2026 expiration.
New START restricts both countries' deployed offensive nuclear weapons, requiring that intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and nuclear warheads remain below the agreed-upon limits.
The treaty, signed in 2010, limits each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed ballistic missile launchers and heavy bombers.
It also provides for a mutual verification system.
But such inspections have been suspended since Moscow halted its participation in the treaty two years ago, against a backdrop of the war in Ukraine and growing tensions with the West.
In January, Trump expressed a desire for a negotiated denuclearization with Moscow and Beijing. He has also asked the Pentagon to develop a huge and ambitious US missile defense system known as Golden Dome.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
