Russia has not yet received a response from Washington on President Vladimir Putin's proposal to extend restrictions under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 3, TASS reported.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) was a 1991 US–Soviet agreement that imposed deep cuts and strict limits on long‑range nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. After START I’s expiration, the 2010 New START treaty between the two built on its verification model and further lowered limits to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 deployed launchers (ICBMs, SLBMs, and bombers), with 800 total launchers, including non‑deployed. 

"The Russian side's initiative, which was outlined by President Putin, is still on the table. We still have not received a response from the Americans to this initiative," Peskov told reporters during a briefing.

The treaty expires on February 5.

The lack of a US response comes as tensions between Moscow and Washington remain high. Iran's potential willingness to negotiate with the US over its nuclear programme, with talks expected in Istanbul on February 6, has put renewed focus on arms control diplomacy.

In September 2025, Vladimir Putin offered to unilaterally maintain New START’s numerical limits for one additional year after its 5 February 2026 expiry, if the US did the same, but did not propose restoring inspections or full implementation.

Putin said at a Security Council meeting on September 22, 2025, that Russia was ready to adhere to the treaty's quantitative restrictions for one more year after it expires in February.

He stressed, however, that this measure would only be viable if Washington acted in the same way.

Russian Foreign Miniser Sergei Lavrov and other diplomats have stressed there are no substantive consultations with Washington on New START’s fate and have signalled Russia is “ready for a world with no nuclear limits” if the U.S. does not engage.