The New START Treaty, a pivotal agreement signed in 2010 between former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, set crucial limits on the number of nuclear warheads that both nations could deploy.
Experts have cautioned that abandoning this treaty could usher in a new phase of nuclear proliferation, especially as countries like China are aiming to expand their own stockpiles of these powerful weapons.
Under the provisions of New START, both Russia and the United States were restricted to a maximum of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers designated for nuclear missions.
The agreement also capped the total number of deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and bombers at 800 for each country.
According to Dr. Tillman Ruff of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Australia, the expiration of New START could allow the U.S. and Russia to nearly double their deployed nuclear arsenals within approximately six months.
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