President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States will allow the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) — the last remaining arms control agreement regulating nuclear weapons between the U.S. and Russia — to lapse, and is directing his administration to pursue a new, updated treaty that he says should also include China.
The 2010 pact, which officially expired at midnight on February 5, 2026, placed legally binding limits on the number of strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems that both the United States and Russia could deploy. Trump’s decision to let the treaty lapse marks the end of a more than 50-year era of formal nuclear arms control agreements between Washington and Moscow.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described New START as “a badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated,” and said he wants U.S. nuclear experts to work on a “new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.” He reiterated his longstanding position that any successor treaty should include China, whose expanding nuclear forces he views as a critical omission from the existing framework.
The president’s announcement is his first major public statement on the future of the pact since its expiration, and it shows growing frustration within the U.S. government over what Trump and his advisers consider structural weaknesses in New START — notably its exclusion of China and provisions that have been difficult to enforce in recent years.
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Unlike New START’s strict sunset provision — a built-in legal limit that allowed only one extension beyond its initial 10-year term — the new initiative Trump envisions could reshape nuclear diplomacy to reflect today’s multipolar nuclear landscape, though analysts warn this may be extremely difficult to negotiate given political and strategic divides.
New START was signed in Prague in 2010 by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It capped deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 for each side and placed limits on 700 deployed missiles, bombers, and submarines capable of delivering those warheads. It also included extensive data exchanges, notifications and on-site inspections to verify compliance.
After an extension negotiated in 2021 under the Biden administration, New START was set to lapse this week. Russia had proposed a voluntary one-year continuation of the treaty’s core limits, but formal negotiations toward such an extension never materialized. Moscow also suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023, halting inspections and data exchanges — a move the United States reciprocated.
The treaty’s end means both countries are no longer legally bound by its restrictions. While experts say neither side is expected to immediately race to expand their arsenals, the lack of binding limits — and the absence of verification mechanisms — eliminates longstanding transparency measures that helped reduce mistrust between the nuclear superpowers.
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Russia’s Foreign Ministry said late Wednesday that it no longer considered itself obligated by New START’s terms due to the lack of a reciprocal U.S. response to its proposal to extend the treaty’s core limits. Moscow also warned that future actions will be guided by its national interests.
The expiration has drawn concern from governments and international organizations around the world. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the moment as “ grave” for global peace and security, emphasizing that it is the first time in more than half a century that the U.S. and Russia have no formal arms control agreement constraining their nuclear arsenals. He called on both sides to urgently resume negotiations and establish a new verifiable framework to reduce risks and enhance stability.
China, which Trump and U.S. officials want included in future arms control discussions, called the treaty’s expiration “regrettable” and emphasized its significance for global strategic stability. However, Beijing reiterated that it has no intention of joining trilateral nuclear arms control negotiations at this time, citing its doctrinal commitment to a defensive nuclear strategy and its nuclear arsenal’s relatively smaller size.
“If you look at today’s threats, a bilateral treaty with only one nuclear power is simply inappropriate in 2026 and going forward,” DiNanno said, arguing for a multilateral approach to nuclear risk reduction. China’s ambassador responded that Beijing will not participate in such negotiations at this stage.
Meanwhile, Russia has hinted it would participate in broader talks if they included other nuclear powers such as the United Kingdom and France, and if all sides can negotiate under equitable conditions. Putin’s government has also signaled willingness to continue strategic stability dialogues even after New START’s expiration.
Crafting a new arms control agreement will be far from straightforward. Experts warn that negotiating a revised treaty — especially one that includes additional nuclear powers — could take years and requires a level of trust and diplomatic engagement not currently present between Washington, Moscow and Beijing.
In addition to political obstacles, there are technical and verification challenges. New START’s inspection regime was already weakened before it expired, as physical inspections had not fully resumed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Moscow had withdrawn cooperation. Without robust monitoring, any future treaty will need innovative mechanisms to verify compliance among multiple states.
Some arms control advocates argue that even a temporary continuation of New START’s limits — such as the one proposed by Russia — could have provided valuable time to negotiate a successor agreement and prevent a renewed arms race. Critics of the lapse worry that without binding limits, both Russia and the United States could resume unconstrained deployments, increasing the risk of miscalculation or escalation.
With New START now expired, the diplomatic focus shifts to whether Washington and Moscow can agree on a framework for future arms control, and whether other nuclear-armed states can be brought into meaningful negotiations.