Russia says it will stick to New START’s nuclear arms limits as long as U.S. does

Russia commits to New START nuclear limits, contingent on U.S. compliance, amid rising concerns over nuclear arms race.

Moscow will observe the limits of the last nuclear arms pact with the United States that expired last week as long as it sees that Washington is doing the same, Russia’s top diplomat said Wednesday (February 11, 2026).

The New START treaty expired on February 5, 2026, leaving no restrictions on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fuelling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rejected.

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Speaking on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) to the parliament’s lower house, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that even though the U.S. hasn’t responded to Putin’s offer, Russia will respect New START’s caps for as long as it sees that the U.S. observes them too.

“The moratorium declared by the president will remain as long as the U.S. doesn’t exceed these limits,” Mr. Lavrov told lawmakers. “We will act in a responsible and balanced way on the basis of analysis of the U.S. military policies.”