politics
February 5, 2026
FACTBOX: New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
The New START Treaty was signed by the Russian and US presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, in Prague on April 8, 2010
TL;DR
- The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 and effective since 2011, is the final agreement governing US-Russian strategic stability and expires on February 5, 2026.
- The treaty limits deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers to 700, nuclear warheads to 1,550, and deployed/non-deployed launchers and heavy bombers to 800.
- It also bans the deployment of strategic offensive weapons outside national territory and addresses anti-ballistic missile defense.
- Russia suspended its participation in treaty inspections in August 2022 and its participation in the treaty itself in February 2023 due to sanctions and logistical issues creating a unilateral advantage for the US.
- Despite the suspension, both Russia and the US have indicated they will continue to comply with quantitative restrictions.
- Prospects for a new agreement are dim, with differing views on including China, France, and the UK, and demands for fundamental changes in US foreign policy toward Russia.
- As of January 2025, Russia and the US held approximately 90% of the world's nuclear weapons.