Last US-Russia Nuclear Treaty Nears Collapse: New START Expiration Sparks Arms Race Fears

• The New START treaty, the last nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia, is set to expire, potentially ending limits on deployed nuclear weapons for the first time in over 50 years.
• Signed in 2010, New START caps each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 missiles/bombers, aiming to maintain strategic stability and reduce miscalculation risks.
• The treaty's collapse is attributed to a lack of US response to Russia's extension offer and Trump's insistence on including China, which Beijing rejects.
• Experts warn that without New START, both nations may increase their arsenals, leading to a dangerous era of nuclear competition, exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine and its revised nuclear doctrine.
• The demise of New START signifies a broader collapse of Cold War-era arms control, raising global instability and the risk of miscalculation, potentially involving China and other nuclear powers.