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Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires

February 5, 2026

The New START treaty, the final nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, has officially expired after being in effect since 2010, eliminating all binding limits on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. The treaty had previously restricted each nation to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and mandated transparency measures including inspections and data sharing. UN Secretary General António Guterres and Pope Francis have both expressed serious concern, urging the two nuclear superpowers to immediately negotiate a replacement framework to prevent an unchecked arms race.

Who is affected

  • United States and Russia (the two countries previously bound by the treaty)
  • Global population (facing increased nuclear risk)
  • China (potential party to future negotiations)
  • United Kingdom and France (Europe's nuclear powers, proposed by Russia for inclusion)
  • UN member states (concerned about international peace and security)
  • Countries seeking nuclear deterrents

What action is being taken

  • The US and Russia are both modernizing their nuclear forces and expanding their strategic capabilities
  • Russia is developing new weapons including Poseidon (nuclear-powered torpedo) and Burevestnik (nuclear-powered cruise missile)
  • The US, Russia, and China are all developing long-range hypersonic missiles
  • President Trump is planning to build a "Golden Dome" to protect North America from long-range weapons

Why it matters

  • This marks the complete collapse of the nuclear arms control architecture that helped end the Cold War and prevent catastrophic nuclear conflict for decades. Without binding limits on strategic nuclear arsenals, the risk of nuclear weapon use is at its highest level in decades, and the world faces the prospect of an unchecked arms race among the countries possessing the vast majority of global nuclear weapons. The expiration follows a pattern of other major arms control treaties dissolving, creating what military experts describe as an unraveling of frameworks that kept the world safe and ushering in a more volatile and dangerous era.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC

Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires