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Kremlin says Russia understands China’s stance on nuclear weapons

05 February 2026 14:41 (UTC +04:00)

Russia will continue to act responsibly even after the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). However, Moscow will primarily be guided by its national interests in this matter, said Dmitry Peskov, the official representative of the Kremlin, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports.

According to him, the situation after the START treaty expires will depend on how events develop: “We accept the existing reality. Either we will increase the number of our strategic weapons, or we will try to persuade other countries to agree to continue oversight of these processes. We view the expiration of the treaty negatively and regret it. Even after the document lost force, our initiative to maintain the limits and restrictions for another year remained unanswered.”

Peskov emphasized that this situation could have negative consequences for the international nuclear arms control system and strategic stability. He also touched upon China’s position, noting that Beijing considers participation in the talks inappropriate, arguing that its nuclear potential is not comparable to that of the United States and Russia, and that Moscow respects this stance.

“In all cases, the Russian Federation will continue to approach the issue of strategic stability in the nuclear sphere responsibly and carefully and, as always, will be guided first and foremost by its national interests,” the Kremlin spokesperson added.