Putin Proposes New Arms Control Pact Ahead of Alaska Summit with Trump

Vladimir Putin has proposed a new U.S.-Russia arms control treaty ahead of his Alaska summit with Donald Trump. The talks will focus on a Ukraine ceasefire, economic ties, and strategic weapons. European allies fear Washington could accept terms that would disadvantage Kyiv and alter the region’s security balance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a fresh arms control treaty with the United States just a day before his high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. The proposal, unveiled during a Kremlin meeting with senior officials, is aimed at fostering long-term peace between the two countries, Europe, and the wider world.

Putin’s renewed push comes as the existing U.S.-Russia nuclear accord is set to expire early next year. Moscow suspended participation in the New START treaty in 2023 but pledged to honour its terms until the deadline. The Kremlin has indicated that any new agreement would need to address NATO’s expansion, U.S. missile defence systems, and the deployment of ground-based missiles.

The Alaska talks, scheduled for Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base, will focus primarily on a ceasefire in Ukraine and the restoration of economic ties. Putin is travelling with top defence, foreign, and economic officials, signalling that economic cooperation will also be on the agenda. Trump has warned of “very severe consequences” if Russia refuses to agree to a ceasefire, though he has tempered expectations for a complete peace deal at the summit.

The Kremlin’s conditions for a ceasefire include Ukraine ceding Crimea and the entire Donbas region, a demand that Kyiv has rejected. European leaders have expressed concern that Trump could agree to terms unfavourable to Ukraine, especially given his openness to territorial adjustments in an eventual settlement.

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Putin acknowledged U.S. efforts to halt the fighting, while Trump has hinted that the Alaska summit could pave the way for a rapid second meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The outcome could reshape both the trajectory of the Ukraine conflict and the future of U.S.-Russia relations.