US President Donald Trump called for negotiations toward a new, modernized nuclear arms control treaty with Russia on February 6, 2026, one day after the New START agreement lapsed without extension. The 2010 pact, which entered into force in 2011, had capped the deployed strategic nuclear forces of the United States and Russia and represented the last legally binding bilateral limit on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, according to a Qatar News Agency report. Trump described the expired treaty as badly negotiated and urged nuclear experts to develop a successor capable of addressing future security challenges while potentially encompassing a broader range of issues.
The Qatar News Agency reported that Trump made the remarks in a post on his Truth Social platform, stating, “Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.” The president had earlier suggested that any new framework should include China, though Beijing has rejected such talks citing its smaller arsenal. New START limited each side to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads, 700 deployed delivery systems and 800 total launchers, a framework the Arms Control Association noted reduced previous ceilings by significant margins.
A SIPRI assessment released in June 2026 placed the global nuclear inventory at approximately 12,187 warheads as of January 2026, with about 9,745 in military stockpiles and Russia and the United States together holding around 83 percent of those useable weapons. Federation of American Scientists estimates cited in congressional reports placed deployed strategic warheads at roughly 1,796 for Russia and 1,770 for the United States at the start of 2026. The expiration has increased uncertainty about future force levels, SIPRI data indicated, as both countries continue extensive modernization programs.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterized the treaty’s lapse as a grave moment for global peace and security and called on Washington and Moscow to negotiate a successor without delay, the Qatar News Agency reported. The Kremlin expressed regret over the end of New START while stating that Russia would continue to act responsibly as a nuclear power and remains open to dialogue under constructive conditions. Analysts have cautioned that the lack of binding limits and verification for the first time in decades could heighten risks of miscalculation and a renewed arms buildup.
Trump rejected a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a voluntary one-year extension of the previous limits, according to Reuters reporting on February 5, 2026. Putin had suggested both nations continue observing the 1,550-warhead cap on 700 delivery systems for an additional year. The US president instead directed focus toward crafting a comprehensive new agreement to replace the pact that had been extended for five years in 2021.
The Arms Control Association factsheet detailed how New START included on-site inspections and data exchanges to build confidence in compliance, elements that ended with the treaty’s expiration on February 5, 2026. Congressional Research Service documents from May 2026 noted that Russia maintains around 4,400 warheads in its military stockpile while the United States holds approximately 3,700. SIPRI commentary from early February 2026 emphasized that a successor accord would need to address not only strategic systems but also tactical nuclear weapons, of which Russia possesses an estimated 1,477.
As of June 2026, no new bilateral negotiations have been publicly confirmed, leaving both nations without formal caps on their strategic forces, a SIPRI yearbook summary found. The Federation of American Scientists projected that without a replacement framework the combined deployed strategic warheads of the two powers could exceed 6,000 within a decade. International observers continue to monitor developments for any signs of renewed arms control efforts between Washington and Moscow.
