Russia says it regrets the expiry of the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington, but insisted it would continue to act "responsibly" despite the removal of formal limits on strategic nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would prioritise strategic stability and national security, even as both sides are now free to deploy hundreds of additional warheads beyond the previous cap of 1,550.
The treaty's expiration ends more than five decades of bilateral nuclear arms control and complicates efforts to assess each other's military intentions. Moscow said it had proposed a temporary extension of the treaty's core limits, but US President Donald Trump has instead pushed for a broader deal that would also include China. Beijing has rejected such talks, arguing its nuclear arsenal (estimated at around 600 warheads) remains far smaller than those of Russia and the United States, which each possess roughly 4,000.
Security experts and the United Nations have warned that the loss of transparency and verification mechanisms could make future crises more dangerous. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the risk of nuclear weapon use is now the highest in decades, while analysts cautioned that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence could further destabilise deterrence. With no successor agreement in place, pressure is mounting on Washington and Moscow to return to negotiations before strategic mistrust hardens into a new arms race...