The world just lost its final major nuclear safety net, as the New START treaty, the last remaining arms control agreement between Russia and the United States, officially expired. For those who haven’t been keeping track, New START was a critical agreement that set clear limits on how many missiles, launchers, and strategic warheads both Washington and Moscow could maintain.
The treaty was essentially the bedrock of non-proliferation between the two biggest nuclear powers on the planet. Now, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the agreement ceased to have any effect at the close of business on Thursday. It’s incredibly frustrating because this treaty didn’t just vanish overnight; Russia claims they tried to save it, but the United States essentially ghosted them.
