Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The current treaty is set to expire in February of 2026.
The current treaty is set to expire in February of 2026.
What is happening?
On October 5, U.S. President Donald Trump responded positively to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent proposal to limit nuclear arms.
When asked by reporters outside the White House, Trump said, “sounds like a good idea to me.”
Putin offers to extend arms limit deal
Putin’s offer centers on continuing to follow the rules of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which limits nuclear weapons.
The treaty, signed in 2010, is set to expire in February 2026. Putin said Russia would maintain the current limits—if the U.S. does the same.
What New START actually limits
New START was signed former US-President Barack Obama and then-Russian-President, Dmitry Medvedev. It restricts each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads.
It also limits delivery systems—including ICBMs, submarine-launched missiles, and heavy bombers—to 700 total.
The treaty was seen as a key achievement in U.S.-Russia arms control efforts.
Russia’s nuclear arsenal still massive
Despite treaty limits, Russia holds the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.
As of March 2024, it had an estimated 5,580 warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
Around 1,200 of those are set for dismantlement, but the rest remain active or in reserve.
Moscow’s dual threat: Tactical and strategic weapons
Russia’s nuclear forces include both tactical weapons for battlefield use and strategic ones capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
This mix makes its arsenal especially complex and keeps NATO and Washington on alert.
Rising tensions since the invasion of Ukraine
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has used nuclear threats in its rhetoric against the West.
These threats have not led to action, but they’ve contributed to a climate of growing concern over Moscow’s long-term intentions.
U.S. Responds with military posturing
In response to provocative comments from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, President Trump recently ordered two U.S. nuclear-powered submarines to reposition in “appropriate regions.”
90 % of the World’s nuclear warheads
While Russia has an estimated 5.580 nuclear warheads, the U.S. has a total of 5.177 warheads as of January 2025.
Together, the two countries’ nuclear arsenals make up 90 percent of all the nuclear weapons in the world.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
