Trump calls for new nuclear arms treaty after New START expires
The president says a "modernized" agreement should replace the Cold War-era pact and include China.
President Donald Trump says the United States should replace the expired New START nuclear arms treaty with a new, "modernized" agreement rather than extend the existing framework. Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump called on nuclear experts to work on a deal that could "last long into the future," though he offered no concrete details on what such a treaty would include or how quickly negotiations might begin.
Trump has repeatedly criticized New START as a poorly negotiated agreement, arguing that it places unfair constraints on the United States. As the treaty expired, he described it as a "bad deal" that was "grossly violated," while insisting that Washington could secure a stronger arrangement. Earlier this year, he said that if the treaty expired, "we'll do a better agreement," signaling a preference for renegotiation over temporary extensions.
The president has also made clear that any future arms control framework should go beyond the bilateral US-Russia model. Trump has said a new treaty must include China, whose rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal he views as a central challenge to 21st-century arms control. Beijing, however, has shown little interest in joining negotiations, raising questions about how realistic Trump's vision for a broader, more durable nuclear agreement may be...
