End of New START Treaty | 06 Feb 2026

Why in News?

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired on 5th February 2026, bringing to an end the last legally binding nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.

Its expiry leaves no legal limits on U.S.–Russia strategic nuclear weapons for the first time since 1972, heightening risks of arms buildup, miscalculation, and escalation while weakening prospects for future arms control.

What is the New START Treaty?

About: START stands for “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.” The original START-I was signed between the US and USSR in 1991 and came into force in 1994.
- It was replaced by the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) and later the New START Treaty (Signed in 2010, entered into force in 2011).
Extension and Suspension: Though extended in 2021 till 2026, Russia suspended participation in 2023 amid the Ukraine war, leading both sides to halt inspections and data sharing.
Key Provisions: It limits long-range weapons designed to influence the outcome of a war, targeting centers of power, command facilities, or critical infrastructure and ensures verifiable reductions in strategic arms.
- Russia and the US hold 87% of the world’s nuclear warheads, enough for multiple global destructions.
Arms Limitations: The treaty set verifiable limits for the US and Russia: 700 deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and bombers, 1,550 nuclear warheads, and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers and bombers.
Persistent Frictions: Disagreements over U.S. missile defence and conventional strike systems, along with Russia’s development of advanced weapons such as Kinzhal missiles and Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, strained New START, as both sides viewed the other’s strategic capabilities as destabilising.
- Negotiations for a post–New START framework stalled in 2024–25, with mutual distrust and disagreement over scope and terms.
Global Implications: The lapse complicates efforts to involve China and other nuclear powers, weakening prospects for broader arms control and non-proliferation.

Global Initiatives Related to Nuclear Weapons Management

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 1968: Aims to prevent nuclear weapons spread, promote disarmament, and support peaceful nuclear energy use; recognizes five nuclear-weapon states (NWS): US, Russia, UK, France, China.
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996: Prohibits all nuclear explosions for testing purposes. (not yet entered into force).
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), 2017: Bans the use, possession, testing, and transfer of nuclear weapons under international law.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the New START Treaty?
The New START Treaty is a strategic arms control agreement between the US and Russia, signed in 2010 and enforced in 2011, limiting deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, bombers, and nuclear warheads to ensure verifiable reductions in strategic arms.

2. What are the key limitations under the New START Treaty?
The treaty limits 700 deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and bombers, 1,550 nuclear warheads, and 800 deployed/non-deployed launchers and bombers, verified through inspections, data sharing, and the Bilateral Consultative Commission.

3. Why was the New START Treaty considered significant for global security?
It was significant as the last major treaty ensuring verifiable reductions and transparency between the two nations holding 87% of global nuclear arsenals, thereby slowing the arms race and preventing miscalculation.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q. The “New START” treaty was in the news. What is this treaty? (2011)

(a) It is a bilateral strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between the USA and the Russian Federation.

(b) It is a multilateral energy security cooperation treaty among the members of the East Asia Summit.

(d) It is a multilateral cooperation treaty among the BRICS countries for the promotion of trade

Ans: (a)