An Audacious Proposal: Putin Asks US to Join in Unofficial One-Year Arms Pact

President Vladimir Putin has made an audacious proposal to the United States: join Russia in an unofficial, one-year arms control pact. His announcement of a voluntary adherence to the expired New START limits serves as the first signature on this informal agreement, and he is now waiting for Washington’s.
The proposal was laid out as a common-sense solution to the absence of a formal treaty. Putin said the goal was to ensure “predictability and restraint” by mutually agreeing to abide by the well-understood limits of the previous accord.
The terms of this unofficial pact are straightforward. Russia will cap its arsenal, but this is entirely contingent on the U.S. doing the same. Putin’s warning that the measure is only “viable” with American reciprocity serves as the central clause of the proposed deal.
The incentive for the United States to sign on, Putin suggested, is the resumption of formal diplomacy. He argued that this informal pact could be the key to unlocking a “substantive strategic dialogue” on a range of security issues.
This audacious proposal now sits on the desk of U.S. policymakers. Their response will determine whether this informal pact takes hold, offering a year of stability, or if the proposal is rejected, likely leading to a new era of strategic uncertainty.