Trump Rejects New START Treaty Extension, Seeks New Nuclear Arms Deal

Rejection of New START Treaty

• 🇺🇸 President Trump rejected an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin to voluntarily extend the New START treaty.
• 🗓️ The treaty, which caps strategic warheads at 1550 per side, expired on Thursday after being signed in 2010.
• 🗣️ White House press secretary Caroline Levit stated that Trump views the New START treaty as badly negotiated and grossly violated.

Pursuit of a New Treaty

• 🎯 The US aims to work on a new, improved, and modernized treaty that can last into the future.
• 🤝 The United States will continue discussions with Russia regarding a new arms control framework.

International Reactions and China's Role

• 🇷🇺 Russia, through Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Pascoff, expressed readiness for dialogue if Washington responded constructively.
• 🌍 The UN Secretary General's spokesperson urged both sides to continue working on a deal, highlighting the danger of not having a framework for nuclear weapons.
• 🇨🇳 Trump has expressed a desire to replace New START with a deal that includes China, but Beijing has declined negotiations.
• 📊 China possesses an estimated 600 warheads, a fraction of the approximately 4,000 each for the US and Russia.