US says Russia’s nuclear arms treaty extension offer sounds ‘pretty good’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered to voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set in the 2010 New START accord after it expires in February if the US agreed to do the same.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Putin’s proposal sounded “pretty good”, but she added that US President Donald Trump would address the offer himself.

The agreement is the last US-Russia strategic nuclear arms control accord. It allowed for only one five-year extension, which Putin and former US president Joe Biden agreed to implement in 2021. The 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 in the 2010 New START pact after it expires on February 5.