Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that Moscow will continue to abide by the only nuclear arms control agreement it holds with the United States for another year, despite it being set to expire in early 2026. 

The last major arms control treaty between the world’s largest nuclear powers, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, is scheduled to end in February 2026. Putin and President Donald Trump discussed the matter during an Alaska summit in August, as Washington pursues denuclearization talks with major rivals, including Russia and China. 

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In the latest twist surrounding the nuclear arms control debate this week, Putin pledged to abide by the New START Treaty for an additional year to avoid “provoking a further strategic arms race” with the U.S. and “to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint.” 

The Russian president called on the Trump administration to commit to a similar one-year extension during a televised meeting of the Russian Security Council. 

“We believe this measure will only be viable if the United States acts in a similar manner and does not take steps that undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrence potentials,” Putin said, adding he believes “it is justified to try to maintain the status quo established by the New START Treaty during the current, rather turbulent period.” 

Putin’s announcement could mark a key move toward diffusing tensions between Russia and the U.S., as Trump has expressed increasing irritation with Moscow over its war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the U.S. has moved closer to slapping Putin with crippling sanctions designed to back Russia into a corner economically by cutting off its flow of cash financing the war in Kyiv. 

The New START agreement was first signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The Biden administration agreed to extend the treaty for another five years into 2026 just days before its expiration in February 2021. 

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Konstantin Kosachyov, a senior Russian senator, said in a message to Telegram that Putin is attempting to send a message to Trump that he is ready to enter talks on a new arms control treaty.

“I hope that this signal will be heard and correctly interpreted,” Kosachyov said, according to Reuters.