Trump would like to strike new deal to replace New START Treaty — Pentagon

US President Donald Trump would like to conclude a new agreement that will replace the Russia-US New START Treaty, US Air Force Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Andrew Gebara said, Report informs.

"[US] President [Donald Trump], at his core, is a negotiator, and he is interested in making the world safer. I'm sure he would love to do a deal, but that deal has to have certain criteria," he said, commenting on the situation around the New START Treaty, which is set to expire in February 2026.

Gebara also noted that, once the limitations imposed by the treaty on Moscow and Washington expire, the Pentagon will be prepared to increase the number of deployed nuclear warheads at Trump"s decision. At the same time, the defense official noted that this is hardly likely. "The president may or may not elect to keep our numbers where they are, or he may change those numbers. We train and are prepared to add to those numbers, if ordered to do so. If not, then we won't. It's that simple," Gebara emphasized.

"I would just say it's important for us to remember [that] some of the arms control treaties in history were done at some of the hottest times of the Cold War. So I don't think it's true to say that, because of the current international situation, there's no hope for arms control," the defense official noted.