The future of nuclear arms control between the world’s two largest nuclear powers hangs in the balance as former President Donald Trump indicates willingness to let the New START treaty expire without replacement. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Trump suggested rejecting Moscow’s proposal to maintain the treaty’s limitations, instead advocating for a broader agreement involving additional nations.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), enacted in 2011, represents the final remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia. The landmark pact imposes crucial restrictions, capping deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 per country and limiting deployed delivery systems—including intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers, and submarines—to 700 units. Without extension or replacement, this critical arms control mechanism is scheduled to terminate on February 5, 2026.
Trump’s stance marks a significant departure from previous administrations. When questioned about the treaty’s potential expiration, the former president responded with apparent indifference, stating, ‘If it expires, it expires.’ He instead emphasized his preference for negotiating a ‘better agreement’ that would incorporate ‘a couple of other players’ beyond the current bilateral framework.
This development carries profound implications for global security architecture. Should the treaty lapse, it would represent the first time in nearly fifty years that the United States and Russia operate without legally binding constraints on their nuclear arsenals. The original treaty framework permitted one five-year extension, which was utilized in 2021 through an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-President Joe Biden.
The current situation emerges against a backdrop of diplomatic outreach from Moscow. In September 2025, Putin reportedly proposed that both nations voluntarily continue observing the treaty’s limitations even without formal extension—a suggestion that appears to find no favor with the Trump administration. This potential collapse of nuclear arms control mechanisms raises significant concerns among international security experts about a new nuclear arms race and the erosion of strategic stability between the world’s premier nuclear powers.