Russian leader Vladimir Putin is attempting to persuade US President Donald Trump’s administration to engage in arms control talks amid Russia’s war against Ukraine. The pressure is aiming to foster closer US-Russia relations and secure concessions regarding the war in Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On 22 September, Putin stated that the last agreement limiting missile capabilities would be dismantled after the expiration of the New START Treaty in 2026. He added that the US implementation of his New START initiative (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), combined with “an entire range of efforts to normalize bilateral relations,” could create an atmosphere “conducive to substantive strategic dialogue.”
New start and strategic stability
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) is an agreement between Russia and the US that limits the number of nuclear warheads and delivery systems to curb the nuclear arms race and ensure strategic stability.
The treaty caps deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550 for each side and limits the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers to 700 units.
War escalation and peace talks
“ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin is dangling the prospect of bilateral arms control talks in front of the United States to secure Russia’s desired demands in Ukraine and deflect from Russia’s responsibility for the lack of progress in Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations,” the experts note.
They point out that in recent months Moscow has sought to provoke escalation, including by exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2025, in order to compel the Trump administration to engage in arms control talks.
The Kremlin leader has leveraged New START to seek US concessions on Ukraine, linking Western support for Kyiv to Russia’s decision to suspend participation in New START in February 2023.
Putin seeks superpower status
ISW analysts believe that Putin’s statements on 22 September aim to present him as Trump’s equal and Russia as a global power comparable to the US. Since Trump’s inauguration in January, Putin has sought to position Russia as the Soviet Union’s heir to superpower status.
Putin expressed willingness to extend the START treaty for one year, but only if the US takes corresponding steps, TSN reports.
He also accused the West of undermining the foundations of nuclear dialogue and seeking “absolute superiority.” Putin hinted that Russia is prepared to respond with “military-technical measures” to any strategic threats.
“Putin’s posturing aims to reinforce the Kremlin’s false narrative that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable, so Ukraine and the West should concede to Russia’s maximalist demands now out of fear that Russian aggression will only worsen in the future,” the experts concluded.