Former NATO Deputy Secretary General called the US silence on the START Treaty a victory for Russia

The lack of a U.S. response to Russia's proposal to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was a diplomatic victory for Moscow. This opinion was expressed by former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller in a Newsweek comment on February 5.

"It's all about a political handshake, which I thought would be an easy diplomatic victory for Trump. <...> Now it's turning into a diplomatic victory for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. Now the United States will turn out to be the villains," said Gottemoeller, who was the chief U.S. negotiator at the conclusion of the treaty in 2010.

According to her, it should have been obvious to Trump that the agreement needed to be extended. The diplomat stressed that this did not even require negotiations — it was enough to simply "re-activate the mechanism for implementing the agreement."

Such a step, according to the expert, would give time for a broader discussion of other issues, including China's growing nuclear arsenal. Gottemoeller suggested that the parties could simply declare their intention to comply with the terms of the agreement until one of them withdraws from it or violates the limits.

Cancelled commitments: does the "death" of the START Treaty lead to a new nuclear arms race

Russia and the United States have lost the last legal obstacles to building up their arsenals.

On February 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the United States had not given an official response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for countries to voluntarily comply with the START Treaty restrictions for at least a year after the termination of the agreement.

Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on February 4 that the Russian side would act in a balanced and responsible manner after the START Treaty expires. He also noted that the path to a negotiated settlement to ensure strategic stability remains open.

Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia's readiness to adhere to the restrictions under the START Treaty for another year after February 5, 2026. In turn, the American leader Donald Trump called Russia's proposal on the START Treaty a good idea.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.