Russia warns that the expiration of the START treaty pushes the world towards a phase without nuclear control

The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, warned this Tuesday that the expiration of the New START Treaty will place the international system in a situation of greater strategic instability, leaving the two largest nuclear powers on the planet without a binding legal framework.

The Russian presidential office said that for the first time in decades Russia and the United States (USA) will be left without a fundamental agreement that limits their strategic arsenals, which represents a historic setback in arms control mechanisms.

The agreement, signed in 2010 and extended in 2021, officially expires on February 5, 2026, and so far the US has not responded to the Russian proposal to extend its limitations for an additional year.

Peskov confirmed that the initiative presented by President Vladimir Putin is still in force, but Washington maintains diplomatic silence. “We haven't received any concrete response from the United States,” said the Kremlin spokesman.

The New START established strict limits on the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons: 700 operational nuclear carriers, 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 launchers in total. Russia fully complied with these commitments within the established deadlines, while Moscow has accused Washington of unilaterally excluding certain weapons systems from its official counts.

Although Russia formally suspended its participation in 2023 due to the active use of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military infrastructure against Russian interests, the Kremlin reiterated on multiple occasions its political will to respect the quantitative limits of the treaty until its expiration.