politics
February 19, 2026
No ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Russia on expired nuclear treaty
There’s no agreement between Russia and the US to follow the limitations of the now-defunct New START treaty, a senior US official has said
TL;DR
- No informal agreement exists between the US and Russia to adhere to the limitations of the expired New START treaty.
- Russia proposed extending the treaty's limitations for an additional year, but received no formal response from the US.
- US President Donald Trump has criticized the New START treaty as a poorly negotiated deal and called for a new, improved version.
- The New START treaty, signed in 2010, capped strategic nuclear warheads and launchers and expired on February 5.
- In 2023, Russia suspended monitoring mechanisms, citing Ukrainian attacks.
- The US has suggested that any new treaty should include China, but Beijing has rejected this idea.