The Kremlin is resuming the use of rhetoric on nuclear arms control to pressure the United States to pressure Ukraine in exchange for normalizing US-Russian relations. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts point to the statement by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, regarding a new Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires on February 5, 2026.
Medvedev reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to unofficially agree to abide by the terms of the new treaty for another year after its expiration, but only if the United States does the same. Medvedev stated that the United States had not responded to this proposal, and that the prospects for broader US-Russian cooperation on arms control depend on the United States accepting Putin's proposal.
They clarify that, according to Medvedev, the US and Russia must first normalize bilateral relations before Russia can cooperate on bilateral arms control measures. At the same time, Medvedev made barely veiled threats if the United States does not shift its focus from peace efforts to normalizing bilateral US-Russian relations, as the Kremlin desires.
Medvedev argued that US-Russian cooperation on arms control contributes to strategic stability, but warned that other states could seek to acquire nuclear weapons in the absence of such stability. According to Medvedev, Russia will counter any threats to its security.
ISW concludes that the Kremlin is trying to use the prospect of improved bilateral US-Russian relations to divert US attention from peace efforts in Ukraine since Donald Trump took office as US President in January 2025.
"The Kremlin may also seek to push the United States to abandon the peace process in Ukraine without completing a peace settlement in exchange for strategic arms talks, which would allow Russia to continue its war unhindered and without US pressure to gain significant concessions," the analysts summarize.
Recall
ISW analysts believe that the Kremlin is using the lack of clarity regarding the Alaska summit in August 2025 to create the illusion of a "joint American-Russian understanding" regarding ending the war in Ukraine.
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