US confirms no deal with Russia to extend New START limits

The US State Department has indicated that there is currently no agreement between the United States and Russia to continue observing the key limits of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

Christopher Yeaw, US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told a seminar at the Hudson Institute in Washington that he was unaware of any arrangement to maintain compliance, Caliber.Az reports.

When asked about the possibility of a “gentlemen’s agreement” between Moscow and Washington, Yeaw said he did not know of any and noted that the matter remains under the discretion of President Donald Trump.

The New START Treaty, a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia, establishes verifiable limits on deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, enhancing U.S. national security. Originally entering into force on 5 February 2011, the treaty was extended through 4 February 2026, maintaining its role as a cornerstone of strategic arms control.

Under the treaty, both countries agreed to central limits on their strategic arsenals. By 5 February 2018, the United States and Russia had met these limits and have remained in compliance ever since. The treaty caps deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers at 700, limits deployed warheads to 1,550, and restricts total deployed and non-deployed launchers to 800.

New START specifically constrains all Russian nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States, including the operational Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and the under-development Sarmat ICBM. As of the latest data exchange on 1 September 2020, Russia declared 1,447 deployed strategic warheads, below the treaty’s maximum, demonstrating the treaty’s role in maintaining verifiable limits on the most operationally available Russian nuclear weapons.

While the treaty sets aggregate limits, it allows each country flexibility in structuring its forces to meet national security needs. The United States, for example, can deploy and maintain strategic nuclear forces in a manner that best supports its defence objectives.

Verification and transparency are central to New START. The treaty establishes detailed procedures governing the conversion and elimination of arms, exchanges of telemetric information, inspections, data reporting, and oversight by the Bilateral Consultative Commission. These measures ensure both parties can monitor compliance and maintain confidence in the treaty’s effectiveness.

By extending New START, the United States and Russia continue to secure verifiable constraints on strategic nuclear weapons, reinforcing stability and predictability in the global security environment for the next five years.

By Aghakazim Guliyev