US Silence on New START Triggers Moscow Warnings and Global Alarm

Washington has still not responded to Moscow on extending the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms (New START), prompting the Russian Foreign Ministry to issue several high-profile statements the day before.

Some US officials reacted by noting that, from the Russian perspective, this silence resembles an act of hostility. In their view, the United States is setting a negative example that could ultimately undermine the foundations of strategic stability.

Retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor commented on the situation by saying that Washington is discarding past structures "one hundred percent,” adding that "to the Russians, this looks as if we are preparing for an attack.”

He recalled that for decades the agreement served as a cornerstone of strategic relations between the two countries. The treaty helped reduce tensions and introduced an unprecedented level of transparency and predictability into military competition.

The US May Seek to Add a Third Party

Journalists at CNN suggest that the US reluctance to extend New START may stem from Washington's desire to include China in the agreement.

"The expiration of New START marks the end of an era not only of arms control treaties between "superpowers' focused exclusively on Moscow and Washington, but also of an era in which the United States was willing to accept limits on nuclear weapons.”

The New START treaty between Russia and the United States expired on Thursday, February 5. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously announced Moscow's readiness to observe the treaty's limits for another year after its expiration. The American side has yet to respond to Russia's proposal to extend the agreement. The Kremlin believes that a world without New START will become more dangerous.

Warnings and Calls for Dialogue

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that, due to the lack of a response from the United States, Russia stands ready to take decisive military-technical measures to neutralize potential threats should they arise after New START expires.

"In essence, our proposals were deliberately left without an answer,” the ministry said.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, will respond to the issue of New START's expiration at a later date.

Against this backdrop, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on both countries to immediately resume dialogue to create a new arms control system. He stressed that the treaty's expiration threatens global security and that the entire world now expects Russia and the United States to move from words to action.