New START treaty expires, ending inspections between U.S. and Russia
Loading...
Summary
The New START treaty between the United States and Russia has expired, removing limits on deployed strategic warheads and ending on-site inspections and telemetry exchanges; the recording described implications for verification, Russian weapons claims, U.S. political reactions and diplomatic barriers to a replacement agreement.
The New START nuclear arms-control treaty between Moscow and Washington has expired, removing the treaty’s caps on deployed strategic warheads and halting on-site inspections and the exchange of telemetry data, the recording said. “It was the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty between Moscow and Washington … and now it's gone,” an unidentified speaker said.
The recording summarized New START’s limits as a little over 1,500 deployed strategic warheads per side and said the treaty covered delivery systems such as submarine-launched missiles and long-range bomber-launched missiles. It warned that without the treaty there will be no inspections of missile silos or submarine bases and no telemetry exchanges, weakening the “trust but verify” mechanisms that have helped restrain mistrust.
The commentator noted other arms-control agreements have already collapsed in recent years, citing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the U.S. accusation that Russia developed a ground-launched missile in violation of that pact. The speaker said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further complicated prospects for a replacement arrangement and raised the question of whether the world is headed toward a new arms race.
The recording described Russian President Vladimir Putin as publicly boasting about advanced new systems — including “nuclear-powered cruise missiles” and “nuclear-powered underwater drone torpedoes” — while also saying Moscow had signaled a willingness to voluntarily abide by New START limitations at times. It said the Biden administration had been willing to pursue negotiations on a follow-on deal but that Russia’s request to discuss NATO issues and the impact of the Ukraine war were major obstacles.
On the U.S. domestic side, the recording reported that Donald Trump and many Republicans showed little concern about the treaty’s expiration, with the speaker saying Trump criticized the treaty as poorly negotiated and called for a “new, improved and modernized” agreement. The commentator also said Trump had threatened to resume nuclear testing in response to Russian weapons claims.
The commentator argued Russia may nevertheless be reluctant to spark a new arms race because of the high cost of weapons and economic strains in Moscow. The recording also noted China is not a party to New START; Washington has said China’s arsenal should be part of any future talks, and the speaker added that France and Britain — which also maintain sizable arsenals — were named by Moscow as states it wanted included in broader negotiations.
The recording did not report any formal diplomatic agreement, vote or new treaty text. Next steps identified in the discussion were largely political and diplomatic: the prospects for a renewed or expanded deal depend on whether the United States, Russia and other nuclear powers can bridge strategic, economic and regional-security disagreements aggravated by the Ukraine war.
