Overview
- The New START treaty, last extended in 2021, is set to lapse on February 5, 2026, with no legal pathway for formal extension beyond that date.
- President Vladimir Putin proposed that both sides voluntarily observe the treaty’s central limits for one year after expiry, a step the Kremlin says requires reciprocal U.S. restraint.
- President Donald Trump has publicly said, “If it expires, it expires,” while expressing interest in a broader agreement that would include China.
- Russia suspended New START’s inspections and data exchanges in 2023, leaving any informal pause without the treaty’s verification regime as the U.S. relies on national technical means for monitoring.
- Moscow insists any future framework must consider British and French arsenals, China rejects joining trilateral talks, and House Foreign Affairs leaders have urged a modernized U.S. arms‑control approach citing Russian noncompliance.