Negotiations on the START Treaty between the US and Russia could take years

According to RIA Novosti on February 5, Mr. Darrell Kimball - Executive Director of the US Arms Control Association told the newspaper that negotiations on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the US could take many years and it would be difficult to reach a new agreement before the current agreement expires on February 5, 2026.

“Agreeing on a new formal nuclear arms control agreement before the New START Treaty expires will be very difficult and could require months, if not years, of negotiations to achieve,” Mr. Kimball said.

However, Mr. Kimball pointed out, the United States and Russia have "strong capabilities and interests" in limiting and further reducing the arsenals of long-, medium- and short-range nuclear weapons, as well as strategic interceptors that each country possesses.

On February 21, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his speech to the Federal Assembly that Russia would suspend its participation in the START Treaty between Russia and the United States, stressing that Moscow was not withdrawing from the treaty. Mr. Putin said that before returning to the discussion, it was necessary to take into account countries such as France and the United Kingdom, which are taking into account their strategic arsenals, that is, NATO's combined strike potential. In addition, an official note on the suspension of Russia's participation in the Treaty was sent to the United States on February 28, 2023.

In early June 2023, Washington announced that it would stop sharing information with Russia on the status and location of strategic weapons covered by the treaty, revoke visas already issued to Russian experts conducting START inspections, and refuse to issue new visas. In addition, the US announced that it would stop providing Russia with telemetry information related to US intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches.

In late December 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia continues to comply with the quantitative restrictions on strategic offensive weapons under the treaty, despite its suspension. Lavrov also stressed that until the US abandons its current anti-Russian stance, “Moscow will not enter into any negotiations with them on arms control.”