U.S. President Donald Trump has responded positively to a Russian proposal to voluntarily maintain limits on nuclear weapons, a significant diplomatic development that contrasts with rising tensions over Ukraine and potential new Western arms supplies. President Trump endorsed the initiative on Sunday, stating the offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin "sounds like a good idea to me" as he departed the White House.
The diplomatic movement centers on the New START accord, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the two powers, which is set to expire in February 2026. Last month, President Putin announced that Russia is "prepared to continue adhering to the central quantitative limitations" of the treaty for one year after its expiration, provided the United States acts in a similar spirit. This would mean both nations voluntarily continuing to cap their deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 and their deployed missiles and bombers at 700 each. Putin framed this offer as a move to avoid a "grave and short-sighted mistake" that could fuel a strategic arms race.
This potential cooperation on nuclear stability comes against a backdrop of significant strain in the U.S.-Russia relationship. Recent weeks have seen reports of Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace, increasing military friction. Furthermore, in a video statement released on Sunday, President Putin issued a stern warning to the United States regarding its support for Ukraine. He stated that a U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of 2,500 kilometers and could put all of European Russia within target, would "destroy Moscow's relationship with Washington". He emphasized that such a move would signal a "qualitatively new stage of escalation".
The Trump administration's consideration of Putin's offer highlights a complex strategic landscape. While President Trump has previously expressed disappointment that Putin has not moved to end the war in Ukraine, he has also stated that the expiring New START treaty is "not an agreement you want expiring". Arms control experts have welcomed the Russian proposal as a positive step that could reduce tensions, forestall a costly arms race, and buy time for more substantive negotiations. However, the proposal's viability is conditional. The Kremlin has made it clear that its voluntary limits would not hold if the United States takes steps that "undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrence," such as deploying missile defense interceptors in space.