When the cold war between the US and USSR was at its peak, the world came to the brink of nuclear war multiple times. The Berlin Crisis in 1961, Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 or the worst of them all, NORAD False alarm in 1979 brought the world on the brink of a Nuclear Armageddon. To avoid any such scenarios in the future, the two superpowers came to an agreement to limit their WMDs to reduce the risk. This initiated the start of several Nuclear Arms control treaties such as SALT I, SALT II, START I, II, and the most recent New START signed in 2010. The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia — the New START treaty — officially expired on 5th February 2026. The end of New START Treaty means that there won’t be any binding caps on the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world for the first time in half a century.
U.S. on the End of New START Treaty:
- President Trump rejected Kremlin’s offer for a one-year extension.
- Washington insists on inclusion of Beijing arguing that the arms control must reflect today’s multipolar realities.
- US sees this as an outdated architecture limiting only Washington and Moscow while Beijing’s arsenal grows at a rapid pace.
Russia on End of New START Treaty:
- Kremlin expressed regret over the collapse of treaty but blamed the Washington.
- Moscow is likely to expand the modernization of its nuclear triad.
- Moscow argues that the treaty provided stability and transparency and its end risks a new more vigorous than ever arms race.
Global Concerns:
With the world involved in conflicts one after the other, it has never been any closer to nuclear war than it is today. The erosion of arms control significantly risks a new arms race between global powers. Unlike the Cold War’s bipolar standoff, today’s world has several states with overlapping disputes – US-Russia, US-China, India-Pakistan, India-China. The absence of treaties means miscommunication and miscalculation risks are higher than ever.
China is expanding its arsenal at a pace not seen since the Cold War days. It now possesses more than 600 nukes. Its arsenal is reshaping the nuclear balance. The India-Pakistan and India-China disputes now exist alongside the US-Russia rivalry. The European continent is becoming a testing ground for Russo-Americans again.
Implications for India:
India faces a strategic dilemma of balancing its historic relationship with Russia against the growing Indo-Pacific partnership with the US. The collapse of the arms control treaty may push India to modernize its own deterrence, especially as China’s arsenal grows rapidly. India’s role as a powerful swing state becomes even more crucial in the ever-evolving global geopolitics. It must navigate between Great Power rivalries while managing its own regional disputes.
Conclusion:
The expiration of the last nuclear control pact between the two nuclear superpowers is the end of an era of corporation. For decades, arms control agreements provided a safety against any nuclear escalation. Now, that umbrella is gone. What we witnessed was not just the end of any treaty, but the collapse of the Post WWII era Global order as well. In this New World Order, arms control must go beyond Washington and Moscow, bringing in Beijing and other nuclear states. Without such frameworks, the risk of nuclear arms race looms large, thus threatening global security.
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