The United States must respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a de facto one-year extension of the New START treaty, which expires on February 5, Bloomberg reports.

Formally extending the agreement is no longer possible, as the treaty allows only a single five-year extension, which both sides already used in 2021.

Bloomberg recalls that last autumn Putin proposed continuing compliance with the treaty’s terms until February 2027, framing the move as part of a broader reset in relations between Moscow and Washington. After that, the United States included a provision on extending New START in the initial version of its peace plan for Ukraine.

At the same time, the agency notes reasons for skepticism toward Putin’s proposal. Without the on-site inspections предусмотренные by the treaty, the United States cannot be certain that Russia is complying with its obligations. In addition, the agreement does not cover Russia’s so-called battlefield nuclear weapons or new systems such as the Poseidon nuclear torpedo. It also does not address China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, which Pentagon estimates suggest could reach 1,000 warheads by 2030.

According to the article, Washington’s acceptance of Putin’s proposal would help restore inspections and strengthen confidence that both sides are honoring their commitments.

US President Donald Trump previously reacted positively to the initiative. However, a month later, following tests of the Burevestnik missile, the Kremlin said Washington had not entered into an official dialogue on New START. In November 2025, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that there was no basis at the time for extending the treaty with the United States and that no room existed for such a step.

New START limits Russia and the United States to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 long-range delivery systems. Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the treaty in February 2023, while pledging to continue observing its numerical limits. He said that any return to discussions would require taking into account the combined strike potential of the entire NATO bloc, not just the United States.

Russia and the United States remain the world’s two largest nuclear powers, together accounting for more than 90 percent of all nuclear weapons. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as of January 2025, Russia possessed 4,309 nuclear warheads, while the United States had 3,700, including both deployed warheads and those held in storage and capable of being deployed after preparation.