Nuclear weapons

NPR - The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired today. It's the last nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia. New START put limits on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. Without the treaty in place, fears of a new global arms race have heightened among world leaders and arms control experts. 

The Kremlin warns that we are plunging into a more dangerous world without New START. For years, both sides have accused the other of failing to live up to the agreement, NPR's Charles Maynes says. Both countries developed conventional weapons that could be retrofitted as nuclear-capable. Inspections were suspended during the pandemic, further weakening the deal. The final blow to the deal was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia refused to negotiate with the Biden administration because the U.S. supported Ukraine militarily. Trump argues that New START is outdated because new nuclear powers like China have emerged since the treaty was first initiated.