US invites Russia to jointly abide by nuclear pact

STORY: Sullivan: “The United States does not need to increase our nuclear forces to outnumber the combined total of our competitors in order to successfully deter them.”

White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday appeared to offer something of an olive branch to nuclear rivals in Moscow and Beijing.

Sullivan told an arms control advocacy group that Washington didn't need to amass any more atomic warheads to deter its enemies, a statement that served as an offer to Russia:

The U.S. would abide by nuclear weapons limits set by a treaty set to expire in 2026, as long as Russia does the same.

"It is in neither of our countries’ interests to embark on an open-ended competition in strategic forces and we are prepared to stick to the central limits as long as Russia does. And rather than waiting to resolve all of our bilateral differences, the United States is ready to engage Russia now to manage nuclear risks and develop a post-2026 arms control framework."

In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was suspending participation in a nuclear treaty, called New START, the last remaining pact limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arms.

At the time, Putin demanded that Washington end its support for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, and bring France and Britain into arms control talks.

The U.S. government responded by declaring Putin's move "irresponsible and unlawful."

Signed in 2010 and due to expire in February 2026, New START capped the number of strategic nuclear warheads the sides can deploy, and limits the number of nuclear-capable land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers.

Any new pact would also have to account for China's nuclear arms buildup, which the Pentagon says likely will more than triple Beijing's arsenal to 1,500 warheads by 2035.