WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear arms control treaty following the expiration of the last remaining agreement between the United States and Russia, a development that has heightened international fears of a new global nuclear arms race.
The Trump administration has consistently argued that any future arms control framework must include China, whose nuclear arsenal is expanding, though it remains far smaller than those of the United States and Russia. Beijing, however, has repeatedly rejected pressure to join such negotiations.
Trump had previously remained largely silent in response to Russian calls to extend the New START treaty, the 2010 agreement that imposed the final limits on the world’s two largest nuclear stockpiles after decades of Cold War–era arms control accords. The treaty, which had been extended by former president Joe Biden, officially expired this week.
According to AFP, hours after its expiration, Trump criticized the agreement, saying it had been “badly negotiated” and was “being grossly violated.” Writing on his Truth Social platform, the president said: “We should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.”
Asked whether Washington and Moscow had agreed to continue observing New START’s limits while talks on a new accord take place, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded, “Not to my knowledge.”
Russia had previously suspended inspections under the treaty as relations with the Biden administration deteriorated. On Wednesday, Moscow said it no longer considered itself bound by limits on the number of deployed nuclear warheads following the treaty’s expiration.
Despite the collapse of New START, Trump has renewed diplomatic engagement with Russia, including inviting President Vladimir Putin to Alaska last August.
The United States also announced on Thursday that it was resuming military-to-military dialogue with Russia after three-way talks in Abu Dhabi focused on the war in Ukraine.
Warnings of Unconstrained Competition
Arms control advocates have warned that the end of New START removes a critical safeguard against nuclear escalation and could spark a renewed arms race.
A group of former senior arms control officials from several countries issued a joint statement on Thursday urging the United States and Russia to continue observing the treaty’s limits as an initial confidence-building measure.
The expiration of New START, they said, “will reduce nuclear stability and predictability, threaten global security, and increase the risk of a new era of unconstrained nuclear competition.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed alarm, calling the breakdown of US–Russia nuclear agreements after more than half a century a “grave moment.”
“This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time—the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades,” Guterres said, referencing Russian suggestions early in the Ukraine war about the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, urged “restraint and responsibility” and said the US-led military alliance would “continue to take steps necessary” to ensure its collective defense.
The official also condemned what they described as “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
China Pushes Back
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said meaningful arms control was “impossible” without China’s participation.
China’s foreign ministry expressed regret over the demise of New START but reiterated that Beijing would not take part in nuclear disarmament talks at this stage.
“China’s nuclear capabilities are of a totally different scale than those of the United States and Russia,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters.
The United States and Russia together control more than 80 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads.
China’s arsenal, however, is growing faster than that of any other country—by about 100 warheads per year since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China is estimated to possess at least 600 nuclear warheads, significantly below the 1,500-warhead cap previously imposed on both the United States and Russia under New START.
France and Britain, both US allies bound by treaty obligations, together hold roughly another 100 nuclear warheads.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said China should eventually engage in arms control discussions but noted a lack of recent diplomatic outreach.
“There is no indication that Trump or his team have taken the time to propose risk reduction or arms control talks with China since returning to office in 2025,” Kimball said.
