The historic New START treaty is scheduled to expire this week, threatening to launch an unrestricted nuclear arms race as the U.S. and Russia fail to reach a renewal agreement.
The United States and Russia are nearing the collapse of the New START treaty, the final agreement limiting their nuclear arsenals, which expires this Thursday. President Donald Trump has resisted a one-year extension proposed by Vladimir Putin, stating, “If it expires, it expires. We’ll just do a better agreement.” Washington now seeks a broader deal involving China.
Critics warn that letting the treaty lapse ends fifty years of bilateral nuclear constraints, potentially doubling deployed warheads. While the White House desires a “better agreement,” Beijing refuses to join talks, arguing its stockpile is incomparable to U.S. or Russian forces. Without a deal, experts predict an expensive, unconstrained arms race between the world’s primary nuclear powers.