Last Updated on February 5, 2026 3:11 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
WEB DESK
The United States and Russia are no longer bound by the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which expired yesterday, raising global security concerns. The pact, signed in 2010 and extended to 2026, limits deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems. The treaty entered into force on February 5, 2011, with an original validity period of 10 years and was later extended to February 5, 2026.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides are no longer bound by the treaty’s provisions and are free to decide their next steps. The Ministry yesterday noted that it remains open to political and diplomatic efforts to stabilise the strategic situation. It said Russia had received no formalised official response from the United States to the Russian initiative on extending voluntary restraint on nuclear arms ceilings beyond the treaty’s expiration on February 5.
US President Donald Trump said in January that he was not concerned about the treaty’s impending expiration and expressed hope that the two sides would reach a new agreement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the lapse a grave moment for international peace and security. He said it marks the first time in over half a century that there are no binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the two countries, which together hold the majority of global nuclear weapons. Guterres urged both nations to return to the negotiating table and create a successor framework to reduce risks and restore verifiable limits.