Hours after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired, US President Donald Trump announced on 5/2 that the agreement was "badly negotiated and seriously violated". He argued that nuclear experts should work to build a "new, improved, modernized, and long-lasting treaty for the future", instead of continuing to extend New START.

When asked if Washington and Moscow would agree to comply with the terms of the New START treaty while negotiating a new agreement, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded that "to my knowledge, no".

Russian officials have not commented on the information. Moscow announced on 4/2 that it was no longer bound by obligations under New START, while leaving open the possibility of future negotiations.

US President Donald Trump at the White House on 2/2. Photo: AP

The Trump administration had repeatedly pushed for a treaty that included China, a country with an expanding nuclear arsenal, though still much smaller than those of the United States and Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on 4/2 that arms control would be "impossible" without China's participation.

However, Beijing has repeatedly refused to join a nuclear treaty with the United States and Russia. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5/2 expressed regret over the expiration of New START, but emphasized that the country would "not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage".

"China's nuclear capabilities are entirely different from those of the United States and Russia", said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian.

New START was signed by the United States and Russia in 2010, becoming effective one year later. The two countries extended the treaty for five years in 2021.

The treaty stipulated that each side could not deploy more than 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and nuclear-armed bombers, nor could the number of nuclear warheads on these delivery vehicles exceed 1,550.

Both Russia and the United States could exceed these limits if New START were not extended or replaced by another agreement. Negotiations to extend the agreement in recent years broke down due to tensions between the two countries, including the issue of Ukraine.

Advocates warned that the expiration of New START could trigger a global arms race and urged nuclear powers to negotiate.

Pham Giang (via AFP)