Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Source: Reuters]
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump a one-year extension on Monday to the last treaty limiting both countries’ nuclear weapons while they discuss what comes next.
Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. The New START treaty limiting the numbers of strategic nuclear weapons – those designed to hit centres of military, economic and political power – expires on February 5.
The treaty caps the number of deployed warheads at 1,550 on each side. Both are likely to breach that if the treaty is not extended or replaced.
Putin said his proposal was in the interests of global non-proliferation and could help spur dialogue with Washington about arms control.
He has been under pressure from Trump to agree to end the war in Ukraine, something Moscow says is part of a slew of security issues that have raised East-West tensions to their most dangerous level since the Cold War.
The offer, made as Ukraine tries to convince Trump to impose harsher sanctions on Russia, was made public by Putin at a meeting of his Security Council.
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