Russia says it will stick to New START’s nuclear arms limits as long as U.S. does

The Washington Times ^ | Feb 11, 2026 | Vladimir Isachenkov

[McGruff]

Moscow will observe the limits of the last nuclear arms pact with the United States that expired last week as long as it sees that Washington is doing the same, Russia’s top diplomat said Wednesday.

The New START treaty expired Feb. 5, leaving no restrictions on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but U.S. President Trump has argued he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rejected.

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TOPICS: China; Foreign Affairs; Government; Russia
KEYWORDS: azovrecruitersonline; butbutbutpoootler; nukes; okraine; rabidrussophobes; russia; start; treaty; zeepharderforvictory

[DCBryan1]

Translation: “This stupid war is expensive...don’t have time for expensive nuke building”.

[Polanski]

As if they followed it in the first place at all lol. Never trust Russia or China on any agreement.

[one guy in new jersey]

Putin probably following the limits by default since he can’t find upgrades and is looking to get something for his (forced) kindness.

[one guy in new jersey]

...can’t fund upgrades...

darned autocorrect

[gnarledmaw]

There comes a point where if you have enough to effectively crisp the entire crust then more is not in any way more helpful.

With all of the satellite discussions going on and Trumps insistence on China being involved I have to wonder if he wants to make a change or attempt to tie China down regarding the space portion of START rather than nuclear missiles.

[thegagline]

That problem is that China is not a signatory of the START AGREEMENT.

[Eli Kopter]

Trust but verify. Reagan’s working agreement.

[whitney69]

‘...China being involved...”

Involvement in the nuclear arms issue is no longer a race. That one has been finished for years. And there is no need to a limit on the control of arms. We already have in the world the capacity to destruction many times over. And no domino in the maze that can tip the pack is left out. And when governments, to include ours, start determining win loss by numbers lost and not the attacks themselves, then it gets closer to some greedy phallus symbol’s ego and not reality.

At present there are 9 countries in the world that possess nuclear weapons (on paper). They are:

Russia, United States, China, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea.

And any one of them can start the launch sequence for everyone else. Feeling safe. Try helpless, it better matches the situation. And nothing can be done about it if it starts. And when you consider that Biden in the US had the call over the suitcase, make you feel even better?

wy69

[Sacajaweau]

Trump should extend it in writing....through his administration.

Deal with China separately...and what about Korea??

[McGruff]

Good point about the other nuclear countries not being included. I doubt China would agree either.They need to catch up to Russia and the US.

[daniel1212]

As if they followed it in the first place at all lol. Never trust Russia or China on any agreement.

Indeed, and China needs to sign on to any new START. However, Putin supporters will defend him.

[whitney69]

“They need to catch up to Russia and the US.”

You sure about this? As of early 2026, China is estimated to have over 600 nuclear warheads, with projections suggesting the arsenal may surpass 1,000 by 2030. This makes it the third-largest arsenal after the United States and Russia. And like Russia and the US, they are capable of world wide deployment already.

wy69