Trump wants a new nuclear weapons treaty with Russia – and China

Nuclear weapons treaty expired

Trump wants a new contract with Putin

The USA apparently wants to negotiate a new nuclear non-proliferation treaty with Russia. This time China should also be included.

Russia regretted the expiry of the treaty, but said it was willing to talk. Peskov said Russia remains ready for dialogue if Washington responds constructively to a proposal from President Vladimir Putin. He had suggested retaining the central provisions for another year. The news portal Axios had previously reported that negotiations had taken place in Abu Dhabi over the past 24 hours and that an agreement on compliance with the most important contract conditions was imminent.

New Start was the latest in a series of arms control agreements between Moscow and Washington that stretched back over half a century to the Cold War era. Security experts see a more dangerous situation without a successor contract with a higher risk of misjudgment. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the risk of using nuclear weapons was higher than it had been in decades. Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since 2022, also criticized the move as an attempt by Moscow to dismantle the global security architecture.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to replace New Start with a better deal that also includes China. However, the government in Beijing rejects negotiations with Moscow and Washington, citing its significantly smaller arsenal. China called the expiry of the treaty regrettable and called on the US to resume dialogue with Russia on strategic stability.

The USA and Russia want to hold direct military talks at a high level again after a break of several years. Both sides agreed on this on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, as the US military announced. The aim is to avoid misjudgments and escalation.

The agreement follows productive and constructive progress toward the peace in Ukraine sought by US President Donald Trump, which was reached last week by Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, said a statement from the US Military Command for Europe (EUCOM).