The nuclear nonproliferation agreement expired last week but talks on an “updated” version are ongoing, the vice president has said
The US is continuing negotiations with Russia on an updated version of the New START treaty, Vice President J.D. Vance has confirmed. The strategic arms control agreement officially expired on February 5 after no formal extension was reached.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Azerbaijan, Vance stated that nuclear non-proliferation talks are ongoing and that the treaty will be different from its previous iteration. “It’s going to change compared to where it was, and that’s part of the negotiation that we’re engaging in with the Russians,” he said.
Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons remains a core priority for the administration of US President Donald Trump, Vance said, and that “more regimes across the world getting nuclear weapons” is the “worst thing that can happen” for the American people.
Vance’s confirmation comes after Axios reported last week that US and Russian officials discussed the treaty on the sidelines of Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
A US official told the outlet that the sides had agreed to “operate in good faith” and begin discussions on updating the agreement, with some sources indicating a provisional six-month observance of the treaty’s terms.
Signed in 2010, New START puts caps on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and launchers that can be deployed and establishes monitoring mechanisms for both Russian and American arsenals. It was initially set to expire in 2021 but was extended for five years at the time.
However, Moscow suspended the verification mechanisms of the treaty in 2023, citing Ukrainian strikes on elements of Russia’s nuclear deterrence and accusing the West of being actively involved.
Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed extending the treaty for one more year, provided that Washington reciprocated. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the initiative “remained unanswered.”
Moscow has repeatedly warned of the dangers of allowing the treaty to lapse. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who signed the original treaty, stated that “the world could enter a dangerous new phase of uncertainty” if the agreement expired, predicting that the global nuclear club will likely expand.
