MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that developing Russia&#39;s nuclear forces was now an &quot;absolute priority&quot; following the expiry of its last remaining nuclear treaty with the US. &quot;The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia&#39;s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world, remains an absolute priority,&quot; Putin said in a video message. His speech came on Russia&#39;s &quot;Defender of the Fatherland Day,&quot; a holiday that is an occasion for military pomp and Kremlin-sponsored patriotism. Putin vowed to keep &quot;strengthening the army and navy&quot; and draw on military experience from the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine. All branches of the armed forces would be improved, he said, including their &quot;combat readiness, their mobility, and their ability to operate in all conditions, even the most difficult.&quot; Putin&#39;s remarks came just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia&#39;s assault on Ukraine that sparked a war that has shattered towns, uprooted millions, and killed large numbers on both sides. Moscow and Washington &mdash; the world&#39;s two main nuclear powers &mdash; are no longer bound by any arms control pact since the New START agreement expired earlier this month. But Russia said it would continue taking a &quot;responsible&quot; approach to strategic nuclear capability and respecting the limits set on its arsenal.

Europe

Putin vows to keep "strengthening the army and navy" and draw on military experience from the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine, says all branches of the armed forces will be improved, including their "combat readiness, their mobility, and their ability to operate in all conditions, even the most difficult."



Putin says developing Russia's nuclear forces 'absolute priority'

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear treaty after the last agreement with Russia expired, prompting fears of a new global arms race. The Trump administration has repeatedly pressed for a new treaty that includes China, whose arsenal is growing but remains significantly smaller than those of Russia and the United States. Beijing has publicly rejected the pressure. Trump had been mostly mum about Russian calls to extend New START, the 2010 treaty that imposed the last restrictions on the two largest nuclear powers after decades of agreements dating back to the Cold War. But hours after it expired, Trump said that the treaty, signed by predecessor Barack Obama and extended by Joe Biden, was &quot;badly negotiated&quot; and &quot;is being grossly violated.&quot; &quot;We should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future,&quot; he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Asked if Washington and Moscow had agreed to stick to the terms of the expired START treaty while negotiations on a new accord are ongoing, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: &quot;Not to my knowledge.&quot; Russia refused inspections under New START as relations with the Biden administration deteriorated. It said on Wednesday that it no longer considered itself bound by the number of nuclear warheads because New START had expired. Despite the stalemate on New START, Trump has enthusiastically restarted diplomacy with Russia and invited President Vladimir Putin to Alaska last August. The United States announced Thursday that it was resuming military dialogue with Russia after three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on the Ukraine war. &#39;Unconstrained nuclear competition&#39;&nbsp;Campaigners have warned that the end of the New START treaty could trigger a global arms race, and urged nuclear powers to enter negotiations. A group of former senior arms control officials from around the world, in a joint statement Thursday, called on the United States and Russia to agree to keep observing New START&#39;s limits as a first step. The end of New START &quot;will reduce nuclear stability and predictability, threaten global security, and increase the risk of a new era of unconstrained nuclear competition,&quot; they wrote. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the nuclear treaties between the United States and Russia, after more than half a century, were at a &quot;grave moment.&quot; &quot;This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time &mdash; the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades,&quot; Guterres said, after Russian suggestions of using tactical nuclear weapons early in the Ukraine war. A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called for &quot;restraint and responsibility&quot; and said that the US-led military alliance &quot;will continue to take steps necessary&quot; to ensure its defense. The official condemned &quot;Russia&#39;s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.&quot; China rejects pressure&nbsp;On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that arms control was &quot;impossible&quot; without including China. China&#39;s foreign ministry expressed regret on Thursday over the demise of New START but said Beijing &quot;will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage.&quot; &quot;China&#39;s nuclear capabilities are of a totally different scale as those of the United States and Russia,&quot; foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference. Russia and the United States together control more than 80% of the world&#39;s nuclear warheads. China&#39;s nuclear arsenal is growing faster than any country&#39;s, by about 100 new warheads a year since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. China is estimated to have at least 600 nuclear warheads, the institute says &mdash; well below the 1,500 each at which Russia and the United States were capped under New START. France and Britain, treaty-bound US allies, together have another 100. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which warns of nuclear risks, agreed that China should engage. But &quot;there is no indication that Trump or his team have taken the time to propose risk reduction or arms control talks with China since returning to office in 2025,&quot; Kimball said.

Americas

The Trump administration has repeatedly pressed for a new treaty that includes China, whose arsenal is growing but remains significantly smaller than those of Russia and the United States. Beijing has publicly rejected the pressure.

Trump urges new nuclear treaty after Russia agreement ends

WASHINGTON: The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States expired Thursday, abruptly ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two top powers can deploy and triggering fears of a global arms race. New START, signed during a warmer period of relations, ended with the turn of the calendar to February 5, with President Donald Trump not following up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin&#39;s proposal to extend the treaty&#39;s limits for one year. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it a &quot;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/japan-restarts-worlds-biggest-nuclear-plant" style="color:#0073e6;">grave moment</a> for international peace and security&quot; and urged Washington and Moscow to head quickly to the negotiating table. &quot;For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States of America,&quot; Guterres said in a statement, which considered the treaty over at midnight GMT or 7 pm in New York. &quot;This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time &mdash; the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades,&quot; he said, after Russian suggestions of using tactical nuclear weapons early in the Ukraine war. Pope Leo XIV said each side needed to do &quot;everything possible&quot; to avert a new arms race. &quot;I urge you not to abandon this instrument without seeking to ensure that it is followed up in a concrete and effective manner,&quot; the American-born pope said at his weekly general audience. Russia&#39;s foreign ministry said it considered that both countries are &quot;no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations within the context of the treaty.&quot; &quot;The Russian Federation intends to act responsibly and prudently,&quot; it added, but warned it was ready to take &quot;decisive&quot; countermeasures if its national security is threatened. US demands China involvement&nbsp;Trump has frequently lashed out at international limits on the United States and called for nuclear testing to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-hes-ordered-us-to-start-nuclear-weapons-testing" style="color:#0073e6;">resume</a> after a long moratorium, although he has not followed up. But some observers say the expiration of New START owes less to ideology than to the workings of the Trump administration, where career diplomats are sidelined, simply not having the bandwidth to negotiate a complex agreement. Trump, asked in October in front of his helicopter about Putin&#39;s proposal for a one-year extension, said it sounded &quot;like a good idea,&quot; but there were no subsequent negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Trump would make a decision later and reiterated a call for a new agreement that includes China. &quot;The president&#39;s been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it&#39;s impossible to do something that doesn&#39;t include China, because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile,&quot; Rubio said. China&#39;s nuclear arsenal is growing quickly, with an estimated 550 strategic nuclear launchers, which is still well below the 800 each of Russia and the United States capped under New START. France and Britain, treaty-bound US allies, together have another 100. Trump, in his first term, also looked ready to let New START lapse as he insisted on including China, with a US negotiator even provocatively setting up an empty seat with a Chinese flag. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which warns of nuclear risks, agreed that China should engage on its nuclear program but wondered if Trump has even tried. &quot;Despite Trump&#39;s talk about involving China in nuclear negotiations, there is no indication that Trump or his team have taken the time to propose risk reduction or arms control talks with China since returning to office in 2025,&quot; Kimball said. He said that Trump and Putin could agree to keep current limits and then press China. Joe Biden agreed with Russia to extend New START for five years after he defeated Trump in the 2020 election, but tensions between the two countries later soared over Moscow&#39;s invasion of Ukraine. The treaty, signed in 2010 in Prague by then presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, limited each side&#39;s nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, a reduction of nearly 30% from the previous limit set in 2002.

New START, signed during a warmer period of relations, ends on February 5, with President Donald Trump not following up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's proposal to extend the treaty's limits for one year.

Last US-Russia nuclear treaty ends in 'grave moment' for world

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday, with both sides highlighting efforts to deepen India-US strategic cooperation.&nbsp;According to the US State Department, Rubio and Jaishankar discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including exploration, mining, and processing.&nbsp;The State Department readout said the two leaders welcomed the trade deal reached between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressing that closer economic ties could unlock new opportunities and strengthen shared energy security goals.&nbsp;Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad, emphasizing that a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing shared interests.&nbsp;In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar said the meeting involved a wide-ranging exchange covering bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 815px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018811808220582060&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=2c33c371487d07e8c8e629e0532d2a728993df1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>He said discussions on the India-US strategic partnership included trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defense, critical minerals, and technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;He also said both sides agreed on holding early meetings of various bilateral mechanisms to advance shared objectives.&nbsp;The talks were held against the backdrop of a recently finalized bilateral trade deal between India and the United States, which has drawn attention across the region. US President Donald Trump on Monday said he had agreed&nbsp;to a trade deal with India that would slash US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange for India lowering trade barriers, stopping its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/russia-says-india-has-not-said-it-will-halt-oil-purchases" target="_blank">purchases of Russian oil</a>, and buying oil instead from the US and potentially from&nbsp;Venezuela.&nbsp;Following that, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on his X account, thanked the US president for the &ldquo;wonderful announcement&rdquo;, saying that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/modi-wants-to-please-me-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">&ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s leadership</a>&nbsp;is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018377090840830101&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=2c33c371487d07e8c8e629e0532d2a728993df1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;He added: &ldquo;I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights.&rdquo; Russia, on the other hand, said it has not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on February 3, 2026. (Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar)

India

US State Department says both leaders discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including exploration, mining, and processing.

Jaishankar, Rubio discuss critical minerals, strategic partnership in Washington

WASHINGTON: The United States is to begin nuclear weapons testing, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, minutes before a high stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The move comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of Washington&#39;s warnings. &quot;Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,&quot; Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that specifically referenced Russia and China. Trump also noted the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, praising his own efforts to do &quot;a complete update and renovation of existing weapons.&quot; He added that &quot;Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.&quot; Trump did not provide further details on the testing except that the &quot;process will begin immediately.&quot;

Move comes after Russian President Putin said Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of Washington's warnings.

Trump says he's ordered US to start nuclear weapons testing

Reuters

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump urged EU officials on Tuesday to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a U.S. official and an EU diplomat.&nbsp;Trump also encouraged the European Union to slap India with similarly expansive tariffs, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.&nbsp;The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.&nbsp;China and India are major purchasers of Russian oil and, as such, they play a vital role in keeping Russia&#39;s economy afloat as it continues to pursue its expanded invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.&nbsp;Trump made the request, which was conveyed via conference call, to EU sanctions envoy David O&#39;Sullivan and other EU officials. The EU delegation is currently in Washington to discuss sanctions coordination.&nbsp;The EU diplomat said the U.S. had indicated it was willing to impose similar tariffs if the European Union heeded the U.S. request.&nbsp;&quot;They are basically saying: We&#39;ll do this, but you need to do it with us,&quot; the diplomat said.&nbsp;The U.S. request, if heeded, would result in a change of strategy for the EU, which has preferred to isolate Russia with sanctions rather than tariffs.&nbsp;China firmly opposes the U.S. applying such so-called economic pressure, its foreign ministry said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday, adding that it also opposed the using of China in discussions on Russia.&nbsp;Trump, whose request was first reported by the Financial Times, has frequently threatened to impose tariffs on India and China as punishment for their purchases of Russian crude.&nbsp;While Trump did hike tariffs on India over the summer by 25 percentage points in part due to its economic relationship with the Kremlin, Trump has yet to pull the trigger on the more punishing options he has floated.&nbsp;At times, he has complained that Europe itself has not fully decoupled from Russia, which supplied about 19% of EU gas imports last year although the bloc says it is committed to fully ending its dependency on Russian energy.&nbsp;Later on Tuesday, Trump suggested that the U.S. could in fact boost trade with India, writing in an evening social media post that the U.S. and India are working to address trade barriers between the nations. He added that he was looking forward to speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump urges EU to impose 100% tariffs on China and India to pressure Putin over Russian oil ties, signaling the U.S. may take similar actions if EU agrees.

Articles tagged with "US Russia"

Putin says developing Russia's nuclear forces 'absolute priority'

Trump urges new nuclear treaty after Russia agreement ends

Last US-Russia nuclear treaty ends in 'grave moment' for world

Jaishankar, Rubio discuss critical minerals, strategic partnership in Washington

Trump says he's ordered US to start nuclear weapons testing

Trump urges EU to impose China, India tariffs to pressure Putin