Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia ended

Published at: 05/02/2026 09:07 AM

This Thursday, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START III or New START, between the Russian Federation and the United States (USA) expired, representing a significant change in arms control since the Cold War.

Moscow and Washington, which jointly control more than 80% of the world's nuclear warheads, will have no obligations under a series of restrictions related to their nuclear arsenals.

The presidential spokesman of the Russian Federation, Dmitri Peskov, stated that Moscow regrets this outcome and considers it negative.

He said that President Vladimir Putin's initiative to maintain quantitative limits for another year was left unanswered by the American side. He assured that Russia will maintain its responsible approach to strategic stability.

Likewise, the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, described the end of the pact as a “serious moment for peace and international security” and urged Washington and Moscow to “return to the negotiating table without delay and agree on a successor framework”.

The New START, signed for the first time in 2010, limited each party's nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, a reduction of almost 30% compared to the previous limit established in 2002.

On the other hand, it allowed countries to carry out on-site inspections of each other's nuclear arsenal, although these were suspended in 2023.

Mazo News Team