New START Ends, President Trump Wants New Nuclear Arms Treaty

US President Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/Official White House/Daniel Torok)

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington should pursue a nuclear arms control agreement that is "new, better and more modern" than extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.

"Instead of extending the 'NEW START' (a deal poorly negotiated by the United States which, among other things, was blatantly violated), we should ask our nuclear experts to work on a new, better and more modern agreement that can last in the future," wrote President Trump on Truth Social, launching Anadolu (6/2).

President Trump's statement comes as the New START Treaty expires, ending the last legally binding agreement that limits the strategic nuclear power of the United States and Russia. Previously, Russia also said on Wednesday, the parties bound by the agreement are no longer bound by their obligations.

When asked if there was a temporary extension of the agreement with Russia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a daily press conference, "To my knowledge, there is none."

Moscow said it was seeking to extend the treaty, noting that President Vladimir Putin proposed on September 22 to maintain existing limits on strategic weapons for at least one year after the treaty expires.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said no official response from the US was received through bilateral channels.

The agreement was signed on April 8, 2010 in Prague and came into force on February 5, 2011, replacing the 1991 START I Treaty, according to the US-based Arms Control Association. The agreement expires on February 5, 2026.