The New START nuclear arms control treaty expired this week, ending the last remaining agreement limiting the strategic arsenals of the United States and Russia after more than half a century of such constraints.
The lapse has intensified international concern about strategic stability even as officials in Washington and Moscow signaled caution and explored temporary measures to avoid an abrupt breakdown in nuclear limits.
Russia said it viewed the treaty’s expiration negatively but would continue to act responsibly, while the United States indicated that President Donald Trump would determine the next steps on his own timeline.
The Kremlin confirmed that New START ceased to have effect on Thursday, marking the end of limits that capped each side at 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and allowed on-site inspections.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia regretted the treaty’s expiration and emphasized continued attention to strategic stability.
“What happens next depends on how events unfold,” Peskov said.
He added that Russia had proposed a voluntary one-year extension of the treaty’s terms to allow time for negotiations on a successor but said the proposal had not received a formal response from Washington.
Peskov also said the issue was discussed during a recent call between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Russia later indicated it remained open to dialogue if it received what it described as constructive replies from the United States.
In Washington, the White House declined immediate comment on reports that the two sides were nearing an informal understanding to continue observing New START limits beyond the expiration date.
According to Axios, talks in Abu Dhabi over the past 24 hours explored the possibility of a temporary arrangement lasting several months, though it was unclear whether any understanding would be formalized.
The U.S. military’s European Command separately said the two countries had agreed to resume high-level military-to-military dialogue.
China’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the treaty’s expiration and warned of negative effects on the global nuclear order, while reiterating that Beijing would not join trilateral disarmament talks.
NATO officials also urged restraint, citing concerns that Russia and China are expanding their nuclear capabilities.