The U.S. Has Begun Discussing A New Nuclear Treaty With Russia And China

• 24.02.2026, 13:08

It became known about the results of the first meetings.

The U.S. is ready to discuss a potential multilateral nuclear arms control treaty with the nuclear powers that are members of the U.N. Security Council. A senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters that the Americans met with a Russian delegation in Geneva on Monday and would meet Chinese officials on Tuesday.

In addition, bilateral talks with Britain and France have already taken place, said the senior U.S. official, who called them good. "Discussions at the level of the five permanent members of the Security Council was the next logical step," he said.

The last strategic offensive arms limitation treaty, START III, which was concluded by Russia and the United States in 2010, expired on Feb. 5. Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would like to include China in a new treaty, if such a treaty is discussed. Beijing has repeatedly refused to consider such a possibility, pointing out that it is still a long way from the leaders in terms of nuclear power. China's special envoy for disarmament Shen Jian said in early February that his country would not participate in new nuclear arms control talks with Moscow and Washington at this stage. It is unclear whether Tuesday's meeting will be formalized, Reuters noted.

It is estimated that China has about 600 nuclear warheads, with the Pentagon predicting the number will rise to 1,000 by the end of the decade. According to the Stockholm Institute for Peace Research (SIPRI), as of January 2025, the US had 3,700 warheads and Russia had 4,309. The UK had 225 and France 290.

The nine countries with nuclear weapons have a total of 12,241, of which 9,614 could be considered potentially ready for use.

Countries in continental Europe have begun discussing securing a nuclear deterrence policy on their territory at the expense of European forces, given doubts that Trump would be willing to continue to fully secure them.