Moscow, Russia. Russia said it regretted the expiry of its last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States but remained ready to talk, amid reports of last-minute negotiations on continued limits.
Russia signals openness to dialogue
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was still ready to engage in dialogue with the United States if Washington responded constructively to a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep observing central provisions of the New START treaty for one more year.
“Listen, if there are any constructive replies, of course we will conduct a dialogue,” Peskov told reporters.
Report cites talks in Abu Dhabi
Axios reported that negotiations had been taking place over the past 24 hours in Abu Dhabi and that the two countries were closing in on a deal to keep observing key terms of New START, which limits each side’s numbers of missiles, launchers and strategic nuclear warheads.
The report said the discussions raised the possibility of a last-minute deal to preserve limits on the deployment of nuclear weapons.
US response and treaty constraints
US President Donald Trump has not formally responded to Putin’s proposal, even though there is no legal option to extend the full treaty.
Security implications and broader nuclear context
New START was the last in a series of nuclear agreements between Moscow and Washington dating back more than half a century to the Cold War.
In addition to setting numerical limits, the agreements included inspection regimes that experts say helped build trust and confidence between the nuclear adversaries.
Security analysts have warned that if nothing replaces the treaty, the environment could become more dangerous with a higher risk of miscalculation, as the United States and Russia would rely on worst-case assumptions and could face incentives to increase their arsenals, especially as China expands its nuclear forces.
China’s position
Trump has said he wants to replace New START with a better deal that includes China, but Beijing has declined negotiations with Moscow and Washington.
China has an estimated 600 warheads, compared to around 4,000 each for Russia and the United States.
On Thursday, China said the expiration of the treaty was regrettable and urged the United States to resume dialogue with Russia on “strategic stability.”
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