Trump calls Putin’s proposal to extend nuclear arms treaty ‘good idea’

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the nuclear arms treaty was a good idea.

He stated this to reporters on Sunday before boarding a helicopter on the grounds of the White House, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In response to a question about Putin’s recent offer to extend the nuclear arms treaty for one year, Trump said: “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in one of its recent reports, described Russia’s proposal to extend the New START as an attempt to normalize U.S.-Russian relations despite the Kremlin showing no signs of willingness to end its war against Ukraine.

As reported, the Treaty between Russia and the United States on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) was signed by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev on April 8, 2010. It was set for a ten-year term, with the option of a five-year extension — until February 2026.

On February 21, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in his address to the Federal Assembly that Russia was suspending its participation in the treaty.

Nevertheless, in recent months, the Kremlin has continued to speculate about the possibility of extending the New START in an apparent effort to draw Washington into renewed engagement.

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