The lieutenant colonel pointed out the benefits for the United States in the event of an extension of the START Treaty.

If the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START Treaty) is extended, the United States, not Russia, will benefit most from this. This opinion was expressed by retired U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen in an interview with Izvestia on February 4.

"I would say that it would be more beneficial for the United States to ensure compliance with agreements and continued cooperation in this area," the expert noted.

At the same time, he expressed the opinion that both countries should extend this agreement in one form or another.

Work on a nuclear deal of this kind should have started many years ago, but this did not happen, Rasmussen said. The reason for this outcome of events was the complete disregard of the relevant issue by the United States.

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.

The Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty will expire on February 5 this year.

On the same day, 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. The Foreign Ministry noted that this approach is erroneous and regrettable.

In September 2025, Putin announced the readiness of the Russian Federation to adhere to the restrictions in accordance with the START Treaty for another year after February 5, 2026.

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