US and Russia on Brink of Nuclear Arms Race After Historic Treaty Expires
For the first time in five decades, the United States and Russia are no longer bound by a nuclear arms treaty, sending shockwaves through global security experts. The New START Treaty, which went into effect in 2011, limited both countries to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers armed with no more than 1,500 nuclear warheads.
The treaty's expiration marks a significant shift in the post-Cold War era of reduced tensions between the two superpowers. Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed openness to extending the treaty in 2025, but his US counterpart, Donald Trump, was unwilling to commit to it without including China in future arms control agreements.
Trump's stance on this issue led Secretary of State Marco Rubio to defend the expiration of the treaty, stating that "the President has been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China." This assertion was met with warnings from US lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who described the situation as "serious" and urged President Trump to pursue new arms control deals.
The lack of a treaty has sparked fears of an escalating nuclear arms race between the US, Russia, and China. Senator Ed Markey echoed these concerns, stating that the expiration "brings great risk for a dangerous and costly" arms race between all three nations. Deputy Chair of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev ominously declared "winter is coming," hinting at potential security threats.
However, sources close to the negotiations suggest that a "good faith" agreement could still be reached, under which both countries would continue to follow the expired treaty's rules. This would provide a temporary stability in an increasingly volatile global nuclear landscape.
For the first time in five decades, the United States and Russia are no longer bound by a nuclear arms treaty, sending shockwaves through global security experts. The New START Treaty, which went into effect in 2011, limited both countries to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers armed with no more than 1,500 nuclear warheads.
The treaty's expiration marks a significant shift in the post-Cold War era of reduced tensions between the two superpowers. Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed openness to extending the treaty in 2025, but his US counterpart, Donald Trump, was unwilling to commit to it without including China in future arms control agreements.
Trump's stance on this issue led Secretary of State Marco Rubio to defend the expiration of the treaty, stating that "the President has been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China." This assertion was met with warnings from US lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who described the situation as "serious" and urged President Trump to pursue new arms control deals.
The lack of a treaty has sparked fears of an escalating nuclear arms race between the US, Russia, and China. Senator Ed Markey echoed these concerns, stating that the expiration "brings great risk for a dangerous and costly" arms race between all three nations. Deputy Chair of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev ominously declared "winter is coming," hinting at potential security threats.
However, sources close to the negotiations suggest that a "good faith" agreement could still be reached, under which both countries would continue to follow the expired treaty's rules. This would provide a temporary stability in an increasingly volatile global nuclear landscape.
i'm literally watching my country's actions and it's freaking me out! how can we just let things go like that? what if china gets involved too?! 
think about the consequences, like, what would happen to our planet?! 
we need some world leaders to step up and do something about this before it's too late. but at the same time, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can still get an agreement in place without a nuclear arms race happening 
. LET'S HOPE WE CAN STILL FIND A WAY TO WORK OUT A "GOOD FAITH" AGREEMENT THAT BRINGS SOME STABILITY TO THIS VOLATILE SITUATION 
. I get where Marco Rubio is coming from, but it feels like we're just playing a game of nuclear chicken here 
. And what's with the "winter is coming" vibe? Is Dmitry Medvedev trying to scare us or what? 
this is not good news at all... like how do you prevent a nuclear arms race? we're already living in scary times with climate change and stuff 
what's next? just waiting to see how this plays out, don't wanna speculate too much though 
... I'm not buying the whole "good faith agreement" thing either 
, it sounds like just a way for them to keep talking without actually doing anything meaningful.
. Mark my words, this nuclear arms race thing is gonna be a total disaster 
...
anyway, let's hope those "good faith" agreements happen soon or we're in for a world of hurt 
btw what's up with nukes tho? like is it even possible 2 stop an arms race now?