Trump opposes extension of US-Russia nuclear arms control treaty

US President Donald Trump said extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which expired on February 5, 2026, would be unnecessary, posting his statement on Truth Social.

“The United States is the most powerful Country in the World. I completely rebuilt its Military in my First Term, including new and many refurbished nuclear weapons. I also added Space Force and now continue to rebuild our Military at levels never seen before. We are even adding Battleships, which are 100 times more powerful than the ones that roamed the Seas during World War II — The Iowa, Missouri, Alabama, and others,” Trump wrote.

He also claimed to have prevented nuclear conflicts, including between Russia and Ukraine, despite Ukraine having no nuclear weapons after relinquishing them under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees.

Trump stressed that, instead of extending New START with Russia, a new pact should be developed. 

“I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine. 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,” he added.

The New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was signed in Prague on April 8, 2010, by then-US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, entering into force in 2011 as part of decades-long efforts to limit strategic nuclear arsenals.

The treaty set binding limits on deployed strategic warheads and delivery systems, while introducing verification measures—including on-site inspections and data exchanges—to boost transparency and predictability between the two nuclear powers.

Under the agreement, each side is capped at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery vehicles, including ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers, within a total limit of 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. Unlike earlier rules, these limits are based on actual warhead counts, providing a more accurate picture of nuclear forces.

New START was extended for five years in 2021, but its verification mechanisms have weakened in recent years, following a halt to mutual inspections amid rising geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

By Jeyhun Aghazada