Russia wants to include the UK and France in nuclear negotiations alongside the US

The Kremlin is proposing to the US a voluntary extension of restrictions on strategic nuclear weapons after the New START treaty expires next year—on condition that the Americans take the same step.

However, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, a long-term solution is only possible if France and the UK are also included in the talks, even though they have not been part of the agreement so far.

US President Donald Trump has so far been cautious about the proposal, but has signaled interest in broader talks on denuclearization, including with China. Russia had suspended the agreement in 2023, but continued to comply with the limits.
The current proposal comes at a time when Ukraine is pushing for tougher sanctions against Moscow.

The New START agreement limits the number of strategic warheads to 1,550 and delivery systems to 700 per side. France and the UK have significantly smaller arsenals of 250 to 300 warheads, but Moscow believes that even these numbers are significant for European security.

(reuters, lup)