5 February 2026 16:42 UTC · UN Secretary-General · UN SG Press Release · Source · Email X Link

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says New START lapse risks

Key points

Treaty expiration raises nuclear risks
Calls for US and Russian Federation to resume talks

TL;DR

Guterres says the expiration of the New START Treaty marks a grave moment for international peace and security.
Guterres notes the world now lacks binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States.
Guterres urges both States to return to the negotiating table and agree a verifiable successor framework to restore limits and reduce risks.

Original text

Secretary-General Statements and Messages The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today: The expiration of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START Treaty), as of midnight today, marks a grave moment for international peace and security. For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States — the two States that possess the overwhelming majority of the global stockpile of nuclear weapons. Throughout the cold war and in its aftermath, nuclear arms control between these Governments helped prevent catastrophe. It built stability and, when combined with other measures, prevented devastating miscalculation. Most importantly, it facilitated the reduction of thousands of nuclear weapons from national arsenals. From Strategic Arms Limitation Talks to New START, strategic arms control drastically improved the security of all peoples, not least the populations of the United States and Russian Federation. This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time — the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades. Yet, even in this moment of uncertainty, we must search for hope. This is an opportunity to reset and create an arms control regime fit for a rapidly evolving context. I welcome that the Presidents of both States have made clear that they appreciate the destabilizing impact of a nuclear arms race and the need to prevent the return to a world of unchecked nuclear proliferation. The world now looks to the Russian Federation and the United States to translate words into action. I urge both States to return to the negotiating table without delay and to agree upon a successor framework that restores verifiable limits, reduces risks and strengthens our common security.

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