Lawmakers fear a global arms race as the last treaty comes to an end.
For the first time in fifty years, there is no nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia. The last agreement between the two global powers came to an end on Thursday, as negotiations over the last remaining joint pact ended in disagreement.
The New START Treaty mandated that both nations be limited to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers armed with no more than 1,500 nuclear warheads. The treaty was extended in 2021, though Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would be suspending involvement in the agreement in February 2023 in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin was reportedly open to extending the treaty in 2025, but President Donald Trump demurred, arguing that China should be part of the pact.
“If it expires, it expires,” Trump told the New York Times in January. “We’ll do a better agreement.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the expiration of the treaty, saying Trump wants to “do something” regarding China’s nuclear arsenal.
