US-Russia nuclear arms control: Trump says Putin’s voluntary limits proposal ‘sounds like a good idea’

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is willing to maintain the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a one-year extension.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Trump said at the White House when asked for his response to Putin’s offer, four months ahead of the treaty’s February 5, 2026, expiration.

New START limits

Signed in 2010, New START restricts both Washington and Moscow to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed ballistic missile launchers and heavy bombers. The treaty also includes a mutual verification system, though inspections have been suspended since Moscow halted participation two years ago amid the war in Ukraine.

Trump’s approach to denuclearization

Earlier this year, Trump expressed interest in negotiating denuclearization with both Moscow and Beijing. The President has also asked the Pentagon to develop an ambitious US missile defense system, known as Golden Dome, signaling a broader strategic focus on national defense.

Tensions over Ukraine and Tomahawk missiles

Despite the potential for extending New START, tensions between the US and Russia remain high. Putin warned that supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could "destroy Moscow’s relationship with Washington."

US Vice President JD Vance previously stated that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request for missiles capable of striking deep into Russia, though no final decision has been announced. Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles), which would put the Kremlin and European Russia within reach.