US, Russia Near Deal to Extend New START Nuclear Treaty: Axios

The United States and Russia are close to reaching an agreement to continue observing the New START nuclear arms control treaty beyond its expiration on Thursday, according to a report by Axios citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The New START treaty, which limits the number of strategic missiles, launchers and nuclear warheads held by both countries, is the last remaining major nuclear arms agreement dating back to the Cold War era.

Negotiations have been underway in Abu Dhabi over the past 24 hours, though a final agreement had not yet been reached, the report said.

The White House declined to comment immediately on the developments, which come amid renewed diplomatic engagement between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

In a related move, the US military’s European Command said Washington and Moscow had agreed in Abu Dhabi to resume high-level military-to-military dialogue. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US-backed peace talks with Russia would continue soon following a second round of negotiations in the same venue.

According to Axios, it remains unclear whether any temporary extension — possibly lasting up to six months — would be formalised through a written agreement.

Kremlin Seeks ‘Constructive Replies’

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains open to dialogue if the United States responds positively to Moscow’s proposal to continue adhering to the treaty’s limits.

“If there are constructive replies, of course we will conduct a dialogue,” Peskov told reporters.

Signed in 2010, the New START treaty was extended once in 2021 for five years under then US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Any further extension would require an executive decision by both sides.

US President Donald Trump, who spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, has pushed for China’s inclusion in future nuclear arms reduction talks. However, Beijing has so far declined, citing its significantly smaller arsenal — estimated at around 600 warheads, compared with roughly 4,000 each held by the US and Russia.

The White House said this week that Trump would outline his approach to nuclear arms control “on his own timeline,” without providing further details.