live Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief for nuclear concessions
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions...
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not support extending the New START nuclear arms control treaty and wants a new, “improved and modernised” agreement, even as Russia expresses regret over the pact’s expiration and warns of the dangers of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump called New START a badly negotiated deal from the U.S. side and claimed it has been repeatedly violated. He said Washington should task its nuclear experts with developing a new treaty that could last “long into the future” and better reflect current strategic realities.
New START formally expired this week, removing the last remaining caps on U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century. The end of the treaty has raised concerns among arms control advocates about the risk of an unconstrained build-up of nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the treaty’s expiration negatively and regrets its end. He said Russia will continue to act in a responsible and balanced manner on nuclear stability, guided by its national interests, and remains open to dialogue if it receives constructive signals from Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed that both countries continue observing New START’s limits for another year to allow time to negotiate a successor agreement. The United States has not accepted that proposal.
Trump has said any future arms control pact should include China, arguing that Beijing’s rapidly growing nuclear stockpile makes bilateral agreements outdated. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that position, saying meaningful arms control in the 21st century is impossible without China’s participation.
China has rejected joining such talks, saying its nuclear forces are not comparable in scale to those of the U.S. and Russia. Beijing has instead urged Washington and Moscow to resume direct dialogue and continue adhering to New START’s core limits for now.
Putin discussed the treaty’s expiration this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to the Kremlin, as Moscow considers its next steps following the collapse of the pact.
New START was signed in 2010 by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It limited each side to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The treaty was extended in 2021 for five years.
On-site inspections under New START were suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed. In February 2023, Russia announced it was suspending its participation while pledging to continue respecting the treaty’s limits.
Despite the expiration, U.S. and Russian officials say they have agreed to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue, reopening a channel that had been frozen since 2021.
Arms control experts warn that without a replacement agreement, the absence of legally binding limits could deepen mistrust and accelerate nuclear competition among the world’s major powers.
A Russian guided aerial bomb has struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, injuring 22 people, including children, according to the city’s mayor. The strike follows a day of near-continuous Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least five people.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared that Brexit has done more harm than good, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and NATO as he used his first Labour conference speech as leader to set out a new direction for Britain.
The arrival in South Korea of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia has created a rare legal, diplomatic and humanitarian case, raising questions over their status, security and future.
At midnight on 30 September, the last U.S. troops are due to leave Iraq, ending a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion and cost the lives of around 4,500 American service members.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 29 September 2026, with the latest from Azerbaijan, from $10.8 billion in investment deals and Formula 1 drama to diplomacy and preparations for major FIFA tournaments.
Crude oil exports from major Middle Eastern producers rebounded in September to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment