Moscow, Jan. 26 (SANA) Russia has renewed its call for a comprehensive and inclusive strategic dialogue aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear conflict, Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday.
Speaking to Kommersant newspaper, Medvedev emphasized that any such dialogue must be grounded in constructive political approaches and include all relevant stakeholders. He described Russia’s efforts surrounding the New START treaty, set to expire on February 5, as a positive and timely initiative.
“Last year, Moscow and Washington agreed to maintain central limits under the treaty until its expiration,” Medvedev said, highlighting the treaty’s role in stabilizing the strategic balance.
The New START Treaty
The New START treaty, formally titled Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, was signed in 2010 by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and then-U.S. President Barack Obama. It limits each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and caps long-range missiles and bombers at 700.
The pact also allows up to 18 annual inspections of each other’s strategic sites, though inspections were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2025, President Vladimir Putin proposed a voluntary extension of the treaty’s limits for at least one year beyond the February 5 expiration. Medvedev stressed that such an extension would only be viable if the United States reciprocated without taking steps that might disrupt the strategic balance.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially described the proposal as a “good idea,” but in a January interview with The New York Times, he said: “If it ends, so be it,” while noting hope for a broader deal that would include China.
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