US President Donald Trump called for concluding a new and improved nuclear treaty with Russia after the end of the "New START" effects, amid Russian regret, Chinese refusal to participate, and international warnings of the most dangerous nuclear moment in decades and the possibility of a new arms race.

Published on: 02/06/2026 - 03:46

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the conclusion of a “new, improved and updated treaty” with Russia, after the end of the “New START” reactors, which is the last existing agreement between the two countries to limit nuclear weapons.

In a post on his platform, “Truth Social,” Trump wrote that Washington should “instead of extending the New START Treaty, ask its nuclear experts to work on a new, improved and updated treaty that can last into the future.”

Regarding the agreement, which expired on Thursday and raised fears of nuclear proliferation, Trump believed that “negotiations on it were conducted poorly by the American side (during the era of Barack Obama), and were blatantly violated.”

Trump has previously called more than once for the control of nuclear weapons, but his recent statements are his first comment after the treaty expires.

The United States seeks to include China in any future arms control dialogue, but Beijing has ruled out joining at this stage.

Fears of the expansion of the proliferation of nuclear weapons are increasing after the end of “New START,” while the Kremlin expressed its regret for the termination of this latest nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow, in exchange for NATO’s call on all parties to “restraint.”

Read also: Neutral Switzerland...a country preparing for the worst with sufficient nuclear shelters for its entire population

From Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, commenting on the expiration of the treaty that set a ceiling on the number of nuclear warheads deployed by both parties, “We look at the matter from a negative angle and express our regret for that.”

As for China, it announced that it does not intend to participate “at the current stage” in talks regarding nuclear arms control.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian explained, during a regular press conference, that "China's nuclear capabilities are radically different from those of the United States and Russia, and we will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage."

Lin also stressed that "this treaty was critical to maintaining global strategic stability."

On the NATO line, a NATO official - on condition of anonymity - called on the parties concerned to "restrain themselves and be responsible."

The end of the "New START" effects came on Thursday after US President Donald Trump ignored his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's proposal to extend restrictions on the number of nuclear warheads for an additional year.

Uncertainty

With the fall of the treaty, the world enters a period of strategic uncertainty, raising fears of the risk of sliding into a possible nuclear war, especially among Japanese survivors of the atomic bombing in 1945.

Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, an organization that includes survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, expresses concern that the seriousness of the situation is being underestimated. He said, "In light of the current circumstances, I feel that in the not-too-distant future we will witness a nuclear war and we will go toward destruction."

The warnings were not limited to survivors; Respected scholars express similar concerns. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a well-known scientific journal, revised its “Doomsday Clock” at the end of January to make the “midnight” moment, symbolizing a major global catastrophe, closer than it has ever been before.

The symbolic clock, which was launched in 1947 with the escalation of the threat of nuclear war during the Cold War, now indicates that only 85 seconds remain until “midnight,” that is, a moment that symbolizes the end of the world.

The end of "New START" comes at a time when relations between the major powers are witnessing severe tension, and with preparations for a new round of negotiations regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the end of the treaty as a “difficult moment for international peace and security,” and urged the United States and Russia to quickly agree on an alternative framework.

Guterres added, "Ending decades of achievements could not come at a worse time, as the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest it has been in decades."

New START is the last existing arms control agreement between Washington and Moscow. It was signed in 2010, and set a ceiling for each party of 800 launchers and heavy bombers, and 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads, with a system of inspection and mutual verification.

With the end of the treaty, the world begins the transition to a less regulated nuclear system, especially after the suspension of inspections in 2023 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In September 2025, Vladimir Putin proposed to Washington to extend the treaty for one year, an offer that Donald Trump described at the time as a “good idea,” but the United States did not implement the move.

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.