Politics News

New START expires: the US and Russia lose their last binding limits on nuclear arsenals

New START, the last treaty limiting the strategic nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia, expired on Thursday, February 5. India's Business Standard recalled that it was signed in 2010 by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, entered into force in February 2011 and was extended once, in 2021, for five years. It capped each side at 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and set limits on missiles and bombers; its inspections and data sharing also ended. The two countries are reported to control about 85% of the world's nuclear warheads.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the lapse a “grave moment” for international peace and security. Business Standard said US President Donald Trump wants “a new and better nuclear arms agreement” rather than an extension, one that includes other nuclear powers, particularly China. China's Foreign Ministry called the expiry “regrettable” and urged Washington to resume dialogue with Moscow.

Nigeria's ThisDay carried Russia's Foreign Ministry statement. Moscow said it suspended its participation in February 2023 but kept observing the treaty's central limits, and that the US reportedly pledged to do the same. It said Vladimir Putin proposed in September 2025 to extend voluntary limits for at least a year, and that Washington never formally responded, which it called “regrettable and short-sighted.”

“No binding commitments or reciprocal declarations remain in force.” — Russian Foreign Ministry, via ThisDay

Days earlier, Swissinfo, carrying Reuters, reported that the Russian daily Izvestia quoted a senior source saying Russia would not sign a replacement deal.

How each outlet framed it

• Business Standard — an explainer: what the treaty limited, and how Washington, Beijing and the UN reacted.
• ThisDay — Moscow's case: its voluntary limits, its unanswered offer and its readiness for “military-technical measures” if new threats emerge.
• Swissinfo — the hard line before the deadline: no successor treaty.

What we don't know yet: Whether talks on a new agreement will start. Russia said it remains open to diplomacy on equal terms, while Trump wants China at the table.