Reportedly, the issue was discussed on the sidelines of the Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi
Axios reported on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that Moscow and Washington are working on a deal to continue the New START nuclear reduction treaty. The strategic arms control agreement officially expired on February 5.
The treaty, which was signed in 2010, sets limits on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and launchers that can be deployed and establishes monitoring mechanisms for both the Russian and American arsenals. It was originally set to expire in 2021 but was extended for five years at that time.
According to Axios, President Donald Trump’s son – in – law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed the issue with the Russian delegation on the sidelines of the Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi. “We agreed with Russia to act in good faith and to start a discussion about how it could be updated,” a US official told the media outlet. Another source claimed that the two sides had agreed to abide by the treaty’s terms for at least six months while the talks on a potential new deal were ongoing.
Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow proposed sticking to the treaty’s provisions for another year, but its initiative “remained unanswered.” He said that Russia will “maintain its responsible and vigilant approach in the field of strategic stability [and] nuclear weapons” but will always be “primarily guided by its national interests.”
The UN also described the treaty expiration as “a grave moment for international peace and security.” Secretary – General Antonio Guterres warned that “the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades” as he urged Moscow and Washington to negotiate a successor framework.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed to his US counterpart Donald Trump a one – year extension of the treaty, but the American president said that he wanted a “better” agreement that includes China.
On Thursday, Peskov said that China considers joining the talks on a new treaty “pointless” because its nuclear arsenal is not comparable to those of Russia and the US. “We respect this position,” the Kremlin spokesman said.