Bad deal: Donald Trump rejects Russian offer to extend limits on nuclear arms
US President Donald Trump has refused Russia's proposal to extend New START treaty limits on nuclear weapons. This move raises concerns over a renewed nuclear arms race and calls for a new pact including China.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday turned down a proposal from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend limits on strategic nuclear weapons after the landmark 'New START' treaty expired.
"Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ — a badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated — we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernised Treaty that can last long into the future," Trump wrote in a social media post on Thursday.
The treaty’s expiration effectively removes the last remaining limits on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, the world’s two largest atomic powers, for the first time in more than 50 years.
In his post, Trump framed the issue as part of a broader argument about American military strength, claiming he had rebuilt the US armed forces during his first term and continues to do so now.
"The United States is the most powerful Country in the World," Trump wrote. "I completely rebuilt its Military in my First Term, including new and many refurbished nuclear weapons." He also pointed to the creation of the Space Force and said the military is being expanded "at levels never seen before."
Trump went on to boast about naval upgrades, claiming the US is adding battleships "100 times more powerful than the ones that roamed the Seas during World War II," naming vessels such as the Iowa and the Missouri.
He also repeated the claim that he had prevented nuclear conflicts between rival nations. "I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine," Trump said, without offering details.
WHAT IS THE NEW START TREATY
The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems held by Washington and Moscow. Its lapse means those constraints are no longer legally binding, raising concerns among arms control advocates about a renewed nuclear arms race.
In February 2023, Putin suspended Moscow’s participation, saying Russia couldn’t allow US inspections of its nuclear sites at a time when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.
New START was the last remaining pact in a long series of agreements between Moscow and Washington to limit their nuclear arsenals, starting with the SALT I in 1972.
RUSSIA REGRETS EXPIRATION OF LAST NUCLEAR ARMS TREATY
The pact's termination left no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century, fuelling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but Trump has ignored the offer and argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rebuffed.
Putin discussed the pact with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, noting the US failure to respond to his proposal to extend its limits and saying that Russia will act in a balanced and responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the treaty's expiration Thursday "negatively" and regrets it. He said Russia will maintain its "responsible, thorough approach to stability when it comes to nuclear weapons," adding that "of course, it will be guided primarily by its national interests."
TRUMP WANTS CHINA IN A PACT
Trump has signalled that while he supports maintaining limits on nuclear weapons, he wants China brought into any future arms control agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump believes modern arms control cannot work without Beijing’s participation, given the pace at which China is expanding its nuclear arsenal. "In order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it’s impossible to do something that doesn’t include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile," Rubio said.
During his first term, Trump unsuccessfully pushed for a three-way nuclear pact involving the United States, Russia and China. Beijing rejected the idea, arguing that its nuclear forces are far smaller than those of Washington and Moscow, while urging the US to restart talks with Russia instead.
"China’s nuclear forces are not at all on the same scale as those of the US and Russia, and thus China will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at the current stage," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday turned down a proposal from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend limits on strategic nuclear weapons after the landmark 'New START' treaty expired.
"Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ — a badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated — we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernised Treaty that can last long into the future," Trump wrote in a social media post on Thursday.
The treaty’s expiration effectively removes the last remaining limits on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, the world’s two largest atomic powers, for the first time in more than 50 years.
In his post, Trump framed the issue as part of a broader argument about American military strength, claiming he had rebuilt the US armed forces during his first term and continues to do so now.
"The United States is the most powerful Country in the World," Trump wrote. "I completely rebuilt its Military in my First Term, including new and many refurbished nuclear weapons." He also pointed to the creation of the Space Force and said the military is being expanded "at levels never seen before."
Trump went on to boast about naval upgrades, claiming the US is adding battleships "100 times more powerful than the ones that roamed the Seas during World War II," naming vessels such as the Iowa and the Missouri.
He also repeated the claim that he had prevented nuclear conflicts between rival nations. "I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine," Trump said, without offering details.
WHAT IS THE NEW START TREATY
The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems held by Washington and Moscow. Its lapse means those constraints are no longer legally binding, raising concerns among arms control advocates about a renewed nuclear arms race.
In February 2023, Putin suspended Moscow’s participation, saying Russia couldn’t allow US inspections of its nuclear sites at a time when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.
New START was the last remaining pact in a long series of agreements between Moscow and Washington to limit their nuclear arsenals, starting with the SALT I in 1972.
RUSSIA REGRETS EXPIRATION OF LAST NUCLEAR ARMS TREATY
The pact's termination left no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century, fuelling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but Trump has ignored the offer and argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rebuffed.
Putin discussed the pact with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, noting the US failure to respond to his proposal to extend its limits and saying that Russia will act in a balanced and responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the treaty's expiration Thursday "negatively" and regrets it. He said Russia will maintain its "responsible, thorough approach to stability when it comes to nuclear weapons," adding that "of course, it will be guided primarily by its national interests."
TRUMP WANTS CHINA IN A PACT
Trump has signalled that while he supports maintaining limits on nuclear weapons, he wants China brought into any future arms control agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump believes modern arms control cannot work without Beijing’s participation, given the pace at which China is expanding its nuclear arsenal. "In order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it’s impossible to do something that doesn’t include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile," Rubio said.
During his first term, Trump unsuccessfully pushed for a three-way nuclear pact involving the United States, Russia and China. Beijing rejected the idea, arguing that its nuclear forces are far smaller than those of Washington and Moscow, while urging the US to restart talks with Russia instead.
"China’s nuclear forces are not at all on the same scale as those of the US and Russia, and thus China will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at the current stage," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.