Putin favors extending U.S. arms treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared his readiness to adhere to nuclear arms limits for one more year under the last remaining nuclear pact with the United States that expires in February, and he urged Washington to follow suit.

- VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin urges the U.S. to stick to arms limits too.

(ALEXANDER KAZAKOV Kremlin Pool Photo)

Putin said allowing the New START agreement signed in 2010 to expire would be destabilizing and could fuel proliferation of nuclear weapons.

His televised remarks came at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the West, and with concerns rising that fighting in Ukraine could spread beyond its borders.

"To avoid provoking a further strategic arms race and to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint, we believe it is justified to try to maintain the status quo established by the New START Treaty during the current, rather turbulent period," Putin said while speaking from the Kremlin.

He said Russia is prepared to stick by the treaty's limits for one more year after it expires on Feb. 5, 2026.

Arms control advocates long have voiced concern about the treaty's looming expiration and the lack of dialogue to secure a successor deal, warning about the possibility of a new nuclear arms race and increased risk of a nuclear conflict.