Representatives of the United States and Russia met in Geneva on Monday, February 23, to discuss the possibility of concluding a multilateral nuclear arms control treaty, Reuters reported, citing a senior State Department official.
On Tuesday, February 24, the US side will hold a similar meeting with the Chinese, the agency reported.
After the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Washington is pushing for a broader arms control agreement that would include not only Russia but also China. China's ambassador to the UN, Shen Jian, has so far ruled out Beijing's participation in negotiations on this issue with Moscow and Washington, the agency noted.
According to the senior US official, the United States has also held bilateral talks with the United Kingdom and France, which are also members of the UN Security Council.
Russia has decided to maintain a moratorium on violations of the New START treaty with a condition for the United States.
The Kremlin has ruled out the possibility of concluding a more favorable agreement on strategic offensive weapons without taking into account the arsenals of France and the United Kingdom.
On February 5, 2026, the Russian-American Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) expired. This is the only treaty between Russia and the United States that limits their nuclear arsenals.
Last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that the United States adhere to New START limits for another year after the agreement expires, provided that Washington commits to doing the same and “not to take steps that undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrence potential,” in particular, not to build up its missile defenses.
Although U.S. President Donald Trump called the idea “good,” the United States has yet to respond. Moscow has seen this as a deliberate lack of response, calling the approach “wrong.” Russia now, the Foreign Ministry said, accepts that the parties to the New START treaty are no longer bound by obligations and are therefore “free to choose their next steps.” Moscow declared that it would “act responsibly and thoughtfully“ and formulate its policy on strategic offensive weapons “based on a thorough analysis of US military policy and the overall strategic situation“.