Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has praised the Trump administration’s “energetic and sincere” attempts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine – and suggested that the United States and Russia could reach a fresh agreement on nuclear arms control.
Speaking in Moscow on Thursday, a day before his planned summit with the US president in Alaska, Mr Putin told senior Russian officials that Washington was working to “stop the hostilities” and “reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.”
The meeting in Alaska, set for Friday, is expected to focus on both the war in Ukraine and broader efforts to stabilise relations between the two countries. Mr Putin said the talks aimed to “create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, as well as in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”
He added that such peace might be possible if the next phase of discussions addressed “control over strategic offensive weapons,” signalling a potential path to revive or replace the New START treaty – the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between Washington and Moscow.
The New START treaty, signed in 2010 and in force since 2011, set strict limits on the number of deployed intercontinental nuclear weapons each side could maintain. The agreement is due to expire in February 2026, and without renewal or replacement, the world’s two largest nuclear powers would be without any formal limits for the first time in decades.
The White House has not commented publicly on Mr Putin’s latest remarks, but the possibility of nuclear arms talks comes at a time when both nations have strained ties and deep mistrust. Still, Mr Putin’s tone marked a rare note of optimism, suggesting that diplomacy – long sidelined by battlefield realities -might be edging back into play.
The Alaska summit is being closely watched by allies and rivals alike. If the two leaders can find common ground, it could mark the most significant thaw in US–Russia relations in years. If not, it may simply underscore how far apart the two sides remain.
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