Putin offers Trump one-year extension to nuclear weapons treaty

By Andrew Osborn, Vladimir Soldatkin and Jonathan Landay

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered to voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the last arms control treaty between the two powers once it expires next year if the U.S. does the same.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Putin's proposal sounded "pretty good," but that U.S. President Donald Trump, who has in the past expressed concern about the treaty's fate, would address the offer himself.

The 2010 New START accord, which expires in February, caps the size of the world's two biggest nuclear arsenals. Many experts fear its expiry could fuel an arms race as both sides boost strategic weapons deployments.

The original treaty could only be extended once by five years, which Putin and former U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to implement in 2021, which is why Putin appealed to Trump to voluntarily agree a one-year informal rollover.

His offer, which comes as Ukraine tries to convince Trump to impose harsher sanctions on Russia, was made public by Putin at a meeting of his Security Council.

"Russia is prepared to continue adhering to the central numerical limits under the New START Treaty for one year after February 5, 2026," he said.

"Subsequently, based on an analysis of the situation, we will make a decision on whether to maintain these voluntary, self-imposed restrictions." 

Trump in July said he would like to maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the treaty after it expires.

The accord caps the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 and the number of delivery vehicles - missiles, submarines and bombers - at 700 on each side.

PUTIN UNDER PRESSURE TO END UKRAINE WAR

Putin said his proposal was in the interests of global non-proliferation and could help spur dialogue with Washington about arms control.

"This measure will only be viable if the United States acts in a similar manner, and does not take steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence capabilities," Putin said.

The Russian leader has been under pressure from Trump to agree to end the war in Ukraine and his proposal appears to be a unilateral change of policy by Moscow, which has until now insisted it would only engage with Washington on such matters if overall ties - hampered by stark differences over Ukraine - improved.

TALKS ON OVERHAULING TREATY YET TO START

Those same differences over Ukraine mean the two powers have not started talks on renewing or overhauling the treaty, though Trump has spoken of his desire to do a new nuclear arms control deal, albeit with China as well.

Beijing has rejected the idea it should be included.

China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that China appreciated what it called Russia's "positive attitude" in offering to extend the New START treaty.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the ministry, said that the U.S. and Russia should continue to reduce their nuclear arsenals "in a verifiable, irreversible and legally binding manner."

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group, called Putin's offer "a positive and welcome move".

Urging Washington to reciprocate, Kimball said Trump and Putin could "help reduce the most immediate existential security threat facing the world".

Putin said Russia would monitor U.S. nuclear arms activity however, paying particular attention to plans to beef up missile defences and proposals to deploy missile interceptors in space.

"The practical implementation of such destabilising actions could nullify our efforts to maintain the status quo in the field of START," warned Putin. "We will respond accordingly."

(Reporting by Reuters; Additional reporting by Mei Mei Chu in Beijing; Editing by Ros Russell, Franklin Paul, Daniel Wallis, William Maclean)