Russia has formally declared the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the United States, marking the end of the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the two nuclear superpowers.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the treaty officially ceased to exist on February 5, 2026, having run its full course.
New START was originally signed in Prague on April 8, 2010, entered into force in February 2011, and was extended once for five years in February 2021 under a one-time extension clause.
The ministry recalled that Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in February 2023, citing what it described as serious violations and hostile actions by the United States that undermined the agreement’s foundational principles.
According to Moscow, the suspension was a “forced and inevitable response” to the policies of the administration of Joe Biden, former U.S. President, which it said had fundamentally altered the global security environment.
Russia accused Washington of taking “illegitimate steps” related to the implementation of specific treaty provisions, arguing that these actions amounted to a material breach that made full implementation of the agreement impossible.
A key concern highlighted by the Russian side was the United States’ missile defence policy, which Moscow said contradicted the treaty’s recognition of the close relationship between strategic offensive and defensive weapons.
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The Foreign Ministry argued that U.S. missile defence developments destabilised the strategic balance, weakened the viability of the treaty, and forced Russia to consider compensatory measures outside the framework of New START in order to preserve strategic equilibrium.
Despite these disputes, Moscow acknowledged that New START had largely fulfilled its core objectives during most of its lifespan.
The treaty, the ministry said, helped curb a strategic arms race, enabled significant reductions in nuclear arsenals, and provided long-term predictability and transparency in the field of strategic offensive weapons.
Even after suspending its participation in 2023, Russia said it remained mindful of the treaty’s stabilising role.
As a result, Moscow voluntarily committed to observing the treaty’s central quantitative limits on nuclear weapons until its expiration in February 2026.
The United States, according to the statement, made a similar voluntary commitment at the time.
Seeking to extend this stabilising effect, Russia said President Vladimir Putin proposed on September 22, 2025, that both sides continue to observe the treaty’s numerical ceilings for at least one year beyond its expiration.
However, the Foreign Ministry said the United States failed to provide any formal response through diplomatic channels, and public remarks from U.S. officials suggested no willingness to accept the proposal.
Moscow described Washington’s silence as “erroneous and regrettable,” adding that the lack of engagement would be factored into Russia’s future policy decisions.
“With the expiration of New START, the parties are no longer bound by any obligations or even symmetrical political declarations under the treaty, including its core provisions,” the statement said.
Russia added that it now considers both sides free to determine their next steps independently.
The ministry stressed that Russia intends to act “responsibly and in a balanced manner,” basing its future approach to strategic offensive arms on a detailed assessment of U.S. military policy and the broader strategic environment.
At the same time, Russia warned it remains prepared to take “decisive military-technical measures” to counter any additional threats to its national security.
The statement emphasised that Moscow is still open to political and diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilising the strategic situation, provided such talks are conducted based on equality and mutual benefit and under appropriate conditions.
