By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow will observe the limits of the last nuclear arms pact with the United States that expired last week as long as it sees that Washington is doing the same, Russia’s top diplomat said Wednesday.

The New START treaty expired Feb. 5, leaving no restrictions on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rejected.

Remarks to Russian lawmakers

Speaking Wednesday to the parliament’s lower house, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that even though the U.S. hasn’t responded to Putin’s offer, Russia will respect New START’s caps for as long as it sees that the U.S. observes them too.

In this photo released by The State Duma, The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures as he delivers his speech at the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament in Moscow, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (The State Duma, The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation Press Service via AP)

“The moratorium declared by the president will remain as long as the U.S. doesn’t exceed these limits,” Lavrov told lawmakers. “We will act in a responsible and balanced way on the basis of analysis of the U.S. military policies.”

He added that “we have reason to believe that the United States is in no hurry to abandon these limits and that they will be observed for the foreseeable future.”

“We will closely monitor how things are actually unfolding,” Lavrov said. “If our American colleagues’ intention to maintain some kind of cooperation on this is confirmed, we will work actively on a new agreement and consider the issues that have remained outside strategic stability agreements.”

US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi

Lavrov’s statement followed a report by Axios claiming Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed a possible informal deal to observe the pact’s limits for at least six months during talks last week in Abu Dhabi. Asked to comment on the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that any such extension could only be formal, adding that “it’s hard to imagine any informal extension in this sphere.”

At the same time, Peskov confirmed that Russian and U.S. negotiators discussed future nuclear arms control in Abu Dhabi where delegations from Moscow, Kyiv and Washington held two days of talks on a peace settlement in Ukraine.

“There is an understanding, and they talked about it in Abu Dhabi, that both parties will take responsible positions and both parties realize the need to start talks on the issue as soon as possible,” Peskov said.

The limits of the New START treaty

New START, signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, was the last of a long series of agreements between Moscow and Washington to limit their nuclear arsenals, starting with SALT I in 1972.

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New START restricted each side to no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads on no more than 700 missiles and bombers deployed and ready for use. It was originally set to expire in 2021 but was extended for five years.

The pact envisioned sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance, although they stopped in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed.

In February 2023, Putin suspended Moscow’s participation, saying Russia couldn’t allow U.S. inspections of its nuclear sites at a time when Washington and its NATO allies openly declared they wanted Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine. But the Kremlin also emphasized it wasn’t withdrawing from the pact altogether, pledging to respect its caps on nuclear weapons.

In September, Putin offered to keep the New START’s limits for another year to buy time for both sides to negotiate a successor agreement.

Even as New START expired, the U.S. and Russia agreed on Feb. 5 to reestablish high-level, military-to-military dialogue following a meeting between senior officials from both sides in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. military command in Europe said. The link was suspended in 2021 as relations grew increasingly strained before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

DULUTH — One person was killed in a shooting Tuesday in the Lincoln Park area.

The Duluth Police Department said officers responded to the reported shooting on the 400 block of Piedmont Avenue and found a male victim dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

The agency did not immediately specify the time of the incident, but issued a statement just after 4:30 p.m.

The man’s identity and further details were not immediately available, including whether any suspects have been detained or are being sought. Officers were on scene, and the public was being asked to stay away from the scene.

If it is deemed a homicide, it would be the first reported in the city in 2026. Duluth saw five homicides in 2025, including three involving gun violence.

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By MARTHA BELLISLE, Associated Press

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — A day after a stunning confession on live television that he had cheated on his girlfriend, Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid on Wednesday said he regrets going public with his private life at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Sturla Holm Laegreid, of Norway, reacts after he won bronze as teammate Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold comforts him after the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In an interview with Norwegian network NRK after winning bronze in the men’s 20-kilometer individual race on Tuesday, Laegreid revealed on camera that he had been unfaithful “to the love of my life” in an apparent attempt to win her back.

However, his tearful confession didn’t go down well with critics who said it took the focus away from teammate Johan-Olav Botn who shot clean to win the gold medal in the event.

“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” Laegreid said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team on Wednesday.

“I am not quite myself these days, and not thinking clearly,” he said. “My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after winning gold. They also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot undo this, but I will now put it behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this.”

Norwegian newspaper VG said it had been in contact with Laegreid’s ex-girlfriend who appeared unmoved by his remorseful comments on live TV.

“It’s hard to forgive (him). Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world,” VG quoted her as saying. “I didn’t choose to be put in this position, and it’s painful to have to endure it. We’ve been in contact, and he’s aware of my feelings about this.”

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The newspaper didn’t name her, saying she wasn’t looking for the attention and wanted to remain anonymous.

The post-race interview with Laegreid took an unexpected turn when he switched the subject from biathlon to his personal life.

“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person. And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her,” Laegreid said, fighting back tears. He later said he wanted to tell the world in the hopes she would see what she means to him.

Critics said his timing was poor, stealing the spotlight from Botn, who was overcome by emotion after his victory and paid tribute to his friend and teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken who died in December.

“Both the time and place are completely wrong,” Norwegian biathlon great Johannes Thingnes Boe, told NRK about Laegreid’s confession.

Retired German biathlete Erik Lesser, who now works as an expert commentator, said he would rather see the conversation at the Games focus on biathlon.

“Let’s concentrate back on the sport,” he told The Associated Press at the biathlon venue in Anterselva. “I can understand what he wants to have happen with his girlfriend. But I just want to think about sport, want to see sport, want to talk about sport.”

By EDDIE PELLS, Associated Press National Writer

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Chloe Kim got the drama over early in Olympic halfpipe qualifying Wednesday, nailing her first run on the way to a top finish and a spot in the final where she’ll go for her third straight title.

Kim showed no signs of rust in her first contest since injuring her shoulder four weeks ago — a setback that jeopardized her status as the favorite coming into the Milan Cortina Games.

In fact, this looked like most halfpipe contests involving Kim over the years: She jumped higher and did tougher tricks than pretty much everyone, and her execution was close to flawless.

Kim’s score of 90.25 in her first run was 2.5 better than Japan’s Sara Shimizu and 4.25 better than Kim’s American teammate, Maddie Mastro.

The contest was halted for about 10 minutes when China’s Liu Jiayu took a nasty fall toward the bottom of the halfpipe. Liu was taken off on a stretcher and the Chinese team didn’t offer immediate word of her condition.