The New START treaty expired at the worst possible time, says UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The risk of nuclear weapons use is now the “greatest in decades,” he says in a statement.
NATO is calling for “responsibility and restraint” to maintain global security. According to a statement from an anonymous representative, both Russia and China are expanding their nuclear capabilities and NATO will in turn do what is necessary to secure its defense.
Russia, for its part, "regrets" that the agreement has expired.
The US has previously argued that a new agreement must also include China. On Thursday, Beijing ruled out participating in disarmament negotiations.
The New START (New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) disarmament agreement was concluded in 2010 between the United States and Russia, which together control over 80 percent of the world's nuclear warheads.
The agreement stipulated that:
Each side may have up to 1,550 nuclear warheads - about 30 percent fewer than under the 2002 Moscow Treaty and 74 percent fewer than under the 1991 START Treaty.
The number of deployed or non-deployed nuclear launchers on land or aboard submarines, together with the number of nuclear-armed heavy bombers, may not exceed 800. A maximum of 700 of them may be deployed.
The agreement was due to expire on February 5, 2021, but was extended for five years just days before the end date. The New START thus finally expired on February 5, 2026.
Source: UI, SIPRI and others
