UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the United States and Russia to swiftly finalize a new nuclear agreement, citing the imminent expiration of the current treaty as a critical moment for global peace and security. The New START treaty is scheduled to lapse on Thursday, freeing both Moscow and Washington from various constraints on their nuclear weapons stockpiles.
Guterres expressed concern over the impending absence of binding restrictions on the strategic nuclear arsenals of both countries, emphasizing the significant progress achieved through arms control pacts like New START. Highlighting the heightened risk of nuclear weapon use, he emphasized the urgent need for Washington and Moscow to resume negotiations promptly and establish a new framework to replace the expiring treaty.
Although Russia and the United States possess over 80 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads, international arms agreements have been progressively eroding. The New START treaty, initially signed in 2010, capped each nation’s deployed strategic warheads at 1,550, representing a substantial reduction from the prior limit set in 2002. The treaty also permitted mutual on-site inspections of nuclear arsenals, a measure that was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not yet resumed.
