Overview

• Vladimir Putin said Russia would voluntarily keep to New START’s caps for one year after the treaty’s Feb. 5, 2026 expiry, pending a matching U.S. commitment.
• The White House called the proposal “pretty good” and said President Trump would address it, but Washington has not issued a detailed response.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said letting New START lapse would be risky, argued a successor deal is virtually impossible to conclude before expiration, and warned of unspecified measures if the U.S. does not reciprocate.
• The treaty limits each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems, yet on-site inspections have been dormant since 2020 and Russia suspended formal participation in 2023 while saying it would respect caps.
• Putin ordered close monitoring of U.S. missile-defense and space-interceptor plans, cautioning that such steps could prompt a Russian response, as some arms-control experts welcomed the one-year offer as a short-term risk reducer.