Abstract. The article focuses on the domestic U.S. discussion on prolongation of the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START), and on this agreement’s compatibility with the U.S. national interests. The debate involves experts in nuclear weapons and non-proliferation, the American political elite, and the Congress. The author compares expert views on the feasibility of the U.S. administration’s idea to involve China in the negotiation process on a new agreement. The article considers the key factors that, according to the U.S. experts, may be in favor of extending the New START Treaty by the United States. The practice of applying legislative mechanisms by the Congress to exert pressure on the U.S. administration for extending of the START agreement is also analyzed.