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Russia Vows to Uphold Nuclear Treaty Limits, Monitoring U.S. Compliance
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Despite the recent expiration of the New START nuclear arms pact, Russia has committed to observing the treaty’s limits, contingent on the United States doing the same. This assurance comes from Russia’s top diplomat, who addressed lawmakers on Wednesday amidst concerns of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
The New START treaty, which expired on February 5th, was the last remaining agreement restricting the nuclear arsenals of the two largest atomic powers. Its lapse has sparked fears of a potential arms race, a scenario not seen in over half a century.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously offered to extend the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington reciprocated. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for China’s inclusion in any new pact, a proposal Beijing has rejected.
Remarks to Russian Lawmakers
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov informed the parliament’s lower house on Wednesday that, even without a direct response from the U.S. to Putin’s offer, Russia would continue to respect the New START’s caps as long as the U.S. also adheres to them.
“The moratorium declared by the president will remain as long as the U.S. doesn’t exceed these limits,” Lavrov stated. “We will act in a responsible and balanced way on the basis of analysis of the U.S. military policies.”
Lavrov expressed confidence, adding, “we have reason to believe that the United States is in no hurry to abandon these limits and that they will be observed for the foreseeable future.” He emphasized, “We will closely monitor how things are actually unfolding. If our American colleagues’ intention to maintain some kind of cooperation on this is confirmed, we will work actively on a new agreement and consider the issues that have remained outside strategic stability agreements.”
U.S.-Russia Talks in Abu Dhabi
Lavrov’s statement follows reports from Axios suggesting that Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed a possible informal agreement to observe the pact’s limits for at least six months during recent talks in Abu Dhabi. While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea of an “informal extension” in this critical sphere, he did confirm that future nuclear arms control was a topic of discussion in Abu Dhabi, where delegations from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington held two days of talks on a peace settlement in Ukraine.
Peskov noted, “There is an understanding, and they talked about it in Abu Dhabi, that both parties will take responsible positions and both parties realize the need to start talks on the issue as soon as possible.”
The Limits of the New START Treaty
Signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, New START was the culmination of a series of agreements between Moscow and Washington aimed at limiting their nuclear arsenals, beginning with SALT I in 1972.
The treaty restricted each side to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads deployed on no more than 700 missiles and bombers ready for use. Initially set to expire in 2021, it was extended for five years. The pact also included provisions for on-site inspections to verify compliance, though these ceased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have not resumed.
In February 2023, Putin suspended Moscow’s participation, citing the impossibility of U.S. inspections of its nuclear sites while Washington and NATO allies openly sought Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine. However, the Kremlin clarified it was not withdrawing from the pact entirely, pledging to respect its caps on nuclear weapons. Last September, Putin offered to maintain New START’s limits for another year to allow time for negotiations on a successor agreement.
Even with the expiration of New START, the U.S. and Russia reportedly agreed on February 5th to reestablish high-level, military-to-military dialogue, according to the U.S. military command in Europe. This link had been suspended in 2021 as relations deteriorated before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Lavrov Cites ‘Excellent’ Trump-Putin Relationship
Lavrov characterized the personal relationship between Putin and Trump as “excellent,” suggesting their “mutual sympathy and respect helped create the atmosphere that allowed them to reach understanding” on specific issues, including Ukraine, during their August summit in Anchorage, Alaska.
Regarding the U.S. bid for Greenland, Lavrov stated it does not concern Russia directly. However, he warned that “in case of militarization of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities there aimed against Russia, we will take relevant countermeasures, including those of a military-technical character.”
He also criticized the U.S. ban on Russia, China, and Iran conducting transactions with Venezuelan oil as “discriminatory,” emphasizing Moscow’s expectation for Washington to develop relations based on “mutual respect.”
Lavrov concluded by stressing that while the Kremlin has not yet initiated a “strategic dialogue” with the Trump administration, “we are always open for such dialogue.”