A half-century of US-Russian arms control ends with the expiration of the New START nuclear pact

The Kremlin says it views the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the U.S. with regret, leaving no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in over 50 years. There are fears the end of the New START Treaty could mean another nuclear arms race. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed readiness to stick to the pact’s limits for another year if Washington agreed. But President Donald Trump has been noncommittal, indicating he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rebuffed. The treaty, signed in 2010, was extended in 2021 for five more years. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the expiration Thursday “negatively.”