nuclear-news

With Trump silent, last US-Russia nuclear pact set to end

Washington (United States) (AFP) – Come Thursday, barring a last-minute change, the final treaty in the world that restricted nuclear weapon deployment will be over.

France24 1st Feb 2026

New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is set to expire, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers.

The expiration comes as President Donald Trump, vowing “America First,” smashes through international agreements that limit the United States, although in the case of New START, the issue may more be inertia than ideology.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in September suggested a one-year extension of New START.

Trump, asked afterward by a reporter for a reaction while he was boarding his helicopter, said an extension “sounds like a good idea to me” — but little has been heard since.

Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev, who as Russia’s president signed New START with counterpart Barack Obama in 2010, said in a recent interview with the Kommersant newspaper that Russia has received no “substantive reaction” on New START but was still giving time to Trump.

Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev, who as Russia’s president signed New START with counterpart Barack Obama in 2010, said in a recent interview with the Kommersant newspaper that Russia has received no “substantive reaction” on New START but was still giving time to Trump.

Trump “seems to have the right instinct on this issue but has thus far failed to follow through with a coherent strategy,” Kimball said.

Jon Wolfsthal, director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists, said Trump and Putin could pick up the phone and agree immediately at a political level to extend New START.

“This is a piece of low-hanging fruit that the Trump administration should have seized months ago,” he said.

Wolfsthal is among experts involved in the “Doomsday Clock” meant to symbolize how near humanity is to destruction. It was recently moved closer to midnight in part due to New START’s demise……………………………………………………………………………………………….https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260201-with-trump-mum-last-us-russia-nuclear-pact-set-to-end

February 3, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA