Any nuclear arms treaty must include the United States, China and Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News.
“The president firmly believes that for any nuclear agreement in the 21st century to be legitimate, it must include these three countries - the United States, Russia and China - and we will continue to explore their willingness to do so,“ he said.
According to Rubio, such an agreement would be “good for the whole world“. However, he noted that the United States cannot “impose” such a treaty.
“We can pressure, we can direct, we can persuade, but we cannot force. Ultimately "...if they want a three-nation arms deal, we're ready to talk about it. If they don't want to do it, then we won't have one - we'll just continue to do what we have to do," the secretary of state concluded.
Russia and the United States signed the New START treaty in April 2010. It entered into force in February 2011. The treaty was intended to last ten years, with the option of a one-time extension for another five years. The treaty was extended in 2021. In February 2023, Russia announced its suspension of participation in the treaty, which officially expired on February 5, 2026.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on February 11 that Russia planned to continue adhering to the moratorium on quantitative arms limits under the New START treaty, as long as the United States abided by those limits.
In early February, Rubio said that the United States was ready to negotiate “from a position of strength“ to formulate a new treaty to reduce offensive arms. He stated that the New START treaty “is no longer fulfilling its function“. He believes that the previous arms control system, based on bilateral agreements between the United States and Russia, is no longer adequate for the current situation, as China has significantly increased its nuclear potential in recent years. This, according to Washington, requires a new approach to strategic stability that takes into account China's capabilities.
US Vice President J. D. Vance announced on February 11 that the United States is continuing negotiations with Russia to conclude an updated version of the treaty. He specified that the updated treaty will differ from New START.