Washington, February 5 – The landmark New START treaty between the United States and Russia officially expires today, leaving both nuclear superpowers without any legally binding limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals for the first time in over a decade.
Signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, New START – formally known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty – imposed strict caps on deployed strategic nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers. Both nations agreed to limit themselves to 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 delivery vehicles, backed by rigorous on-site inspections to verify compliance.
Originally set to expire in 2021, the treaty was extended for five years amid hopes of fostering dialogue. However, tensions escalated dramatically following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In February 2023, President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in inspections, citing NATO’s support for Kyiv as a security risk that barred American inspectors from Russian nuclear sites.
Despite the suspension, Russia maintained it would adhere to the numerical limits. Putin even proposed extending compliance for another year in September 2025, urging Washington to reciprocate. Yet, with no mutual agreement, the treaty lapsed today, unleashing both countries to expand their nuclear capabilities unchecked.
Experts warn this development could ignite a perilous new arms race. Without verification mechanisms, suspicions will fester, potentially spurring rapid deployments of advanced hypersonic missiles, next-generation bombers, and more warheads. The United Nations Secretary-General has voiced deep alarm, emphasizing that the treaty’s demise heightens global instability at a time when nuclear rhetoric dominates international discourse.
As geopolitical flashpoints multiply – from Ukraine to the Taiwan Strait – the absence of arms control paves the way for miscalculations. Both Washington and Moscow now face stark choices: pursue risky unilateral buildups or seek a successor framework amid eroding trust. The world watches anxiously as the guardrails of nuclear restraint vanish.