Charles Mainz

While the drills were long planned, they followed the postponement of a summit meeting between Putin and Trump,

Aimed at finding a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, they also come as the last remaining nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S.

and Russia is set to expire in early 2026.

Putin has called on Trump to agree to a one-year extension to give both sides more time to negotiate a new agreement.

Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.