Trump Suggests Willingness to Extend Arms Control Deal With Russia

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was open to maintaining a nuclear arms treaty between Washington and Moscow, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a one-year extension.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump said at the White House when asked about Putin’s offer to prolong the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which is set to expire on February 5, 2026.

The New START treaty, signed in 2010, places limits on the number of deployed offensive nuclear weapons in both countries. It caps each side at 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed ballistic missile launchers and heavy bombers, while also establishing a system for mutual verification.

However, inspections under the treaty have been suspended since Moscow withdrew from its participation two years ago amid the war in Ukraine and rising tensions with the West.

Earlier this year, Trump voiced interest in pursuing a broader denuclearization agreement involving both Moscow and Beijing. He has also directed the Pentagon to advance work on an ambitious US missile defense initiative known as the Golden Dome.