Nuclear guardrails removed: The world is watching Washington and Russia

Thekabarnews.com—The end of New START, the last nuclear arms control deal between the US and Russia, has once again made people around the world worried about strategic stability. The treaty officially ended on Thursday, February 5, 2026. For the first time in decades, the two biggest nuclear powers in the world could use as many nuclear weapons as they wanted.

The Russian government said that after the deadline had passed, it no longer felt limited by how many nuclear warheads and delivery systems it could have. On the other hand, Russian officials expressed their commitment to maintaining responsible behavior and preventing any escalation. The Kremlin also declared its readiness to respond forcefully in the event of a serious threat to Russia’s national security.

President Vladimir Putin had stated that both sides should independently adhere to the New START limits for an additional year. However, Washington did not officially respond to that proposal. As a result, the treaty ended without a new one or a temporary framework.

Diplomats, religious leaders, and civil society groups have expressed concern over the failure of New START. Pope Leo XIV told both countries not to give up on arms control mechanisms without doing something about it. 

He said it was their moral duty to stop a horrible war from happening. His words echoed a bigger fear that the end of the treaty could undo years of work to make the world safer from nuclear war.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) also expressed concern about the out-of-control and rapid pace of the global nuclear arms race. The Executive Director of ICAN, Melissa Parke, said that without legal limits, the number of warheads, missile systems, military exercises, and strategic deployments could all go up.

Experts say that these kinds of events could make other countries with nuclear weapons feel like they need to add to or update their stockpiles. In turn, this would make things even more unstable when tensions are already high around the world. 

Without ways to check inspections and data exchanges, big countries might become more suspicious of each other, increasing the chance of mistakes.

Experts agree that the lack of New START takes away an important safety net. Even though neither Washington nor Moscow has said they will quickly expand their nuclear arsenals, this remains a concern. The challenging part now is whether the two sides can talk to each other again and make new rules before competition takes over.