Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Russia told the United States (US) on Monday that the last remaining pillar of the bilateral nuclear arms control regime could expire in 2026 without a replacement due to what it said was the US efforts to inflict “strategic defeat” on Moscow in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, both the United States and Russia still have vast arsenals of nuclear weapons, which are currently partially limited by the 2011 New Strategic Arms Reduction (START) agreement, which in 2021 was extended until 2026.
What comes after February 4, 2026, is still being determined, though the US has indicated it wants to reach a follow-on agreement with Russia.
United States’ stance
Asked if Moscow could envisage no nuclear weapons control treaty after 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA state news agency: “This is a quite possible scenario.”
Ryabkov, Russia’s top weapons control diplomat, said the United States had, in recent years, ignored Russia’s interests and dismantled most of the architecture of weapons control.
Ryabkov said, “New START may well fall victim to this” and “We are ready for such the scenario.”
His remarks warn Washington that its continued military support for Ukraine could scupper the final post-Cold War bilateral weapons control treaty with Russia.
The US has supplied over $27 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24, including over 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft rocket systems and 8,500 Javelin anti-tank missile systems. Ryabkov said that the entire situation in the sphere of security, including weapons control, has been held hostage by the
