Russia vows measured response after New START pact with US lapses, amid warnings of a new arms race.
MOSCOW: The Kremlin has pledged that Russia will act “responsibly” following the expiration of the last major nuclear arms control treaty with the United States.
The New START agreement formally lapsed, releasing both nations from restrictions on their nuclear arsenals.
In a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that Russia “will act in a measured manner and responsibly,” according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
The treaty, signed in 2010, limited each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 800 missile launchers.
Russia had frozen its participation in 2023 but continued to voluntarily adhere to the treaty’s limits.
President Vladimir Putin had offered a one-year extension of the pact in September.
The Kremlin stated it has not received an answer from Washington regarding that proposal.
Moscow remains “open to finding ways for dialogue and ensuring strategic stability,” Ushakov added.
Campaigners warn that allowing the treaty to lapse could trigger a dangerous new nuclear arms race.
“Without New START, there is a real danger the new arms race will accelerate between the US and Russia,” said ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons called on both powers to honour the treaty’s limits while negotiating a new agreement.
