Overview
- The treaty is due to expire on February 5, ending verifiable caps of 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems per side.
- Dmitry Medvedev warned the lapse should alarm the world and reiterated that Russia’s offer to observe current limits for one more year remains available.
- Russia suspended participation in 2023, halting inspections and data exchanges and leaving a verification gap even as both sides cited adherence to limits.
- U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he would allow the treaty to expire, saying the United States would seek a better agreement.
- Reporting highlights rapid Chinese nuclear expansion, with analysts cautioning that the lapse could intensify regional pressures on India and Pakistan to adjust their arsenals.