Moscow: The Kremlin today reiterated its offer to Washington for a one-year extension of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, warning that its imminent expiration threatens to plunge the world into a "more dangerous situation."

According to Oman News Agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that President Vladimir Putin's proposal remains active, but the United States has yet to provide a response. "In a few days, the world will likely be in a more dangerous situation than it has been so far," Peskov told Russian news agencies, highlighting the rapidly approaching deadline this Thursday.

The 2010 treaty, a cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, limits each side to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 800 delivery systems. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023, one year after its invasion of Ukraine, citing impediments to on-site verification inspections, but pledged to continue adhering to its central limits.

The diplomatic stalemate is complicated by a fundamental disagreement over the future of arms control. The United States insists that any future negotiations must include China, whose rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal it views as a strategic concern. Peskov firmly rejected this precondition, arguing that China's arsenal is not comparable to those of Russia and the United States and "could therefore be disregarded."

Instead, Russia redirected the focus to U.S. allies in Europe. "When discussing a future system of strategic stability, we cannot ignore the nuclear potential of US allies in Europe, namely Britain and France," Peskov said. He emphasized that these arsenals would need to be factored into any future talks, echoing a longstanding demand from President Putin.

With the expiration clock ticking, the lack of a US response to the extension offer leaves the last major bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the world's two largest nuclear powers in peril.