Trump hints at letting last U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty lapse
U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he may allow the New START nuclear arms control treaty with Russia to expire next month, the last remaining agreement limiting the two countries’ strategic arsenals, the New York Times reported.
The treaty, in force since 2011, caps each side at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems such as missiles, bombers and submarines. It is due to expire on Feb. 5, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
Asked about Moscow’s proposal to keep the existing limits in place, Trump responded, “If it expires, it expires,” adding that he prefers a broader deal that could involve “a couple of other players,” without naming them.
If New START lapses, it would mark the first time in about 50 years that the world’s two largest nuclear powers operate without binding constraints on their arsenals.
The treaty was set for a 10-year duration but was extended once in 2021 by then-U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin — the final extension allowed. Putin suggested in September that Russia could voluntarily continue observing the limits if Washington did the same.
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