The Kremlin issued a stark warning on Tuesday: the world is hurtling toward its most perilous moment in modern history as the final nuclear arms agreement between the United States and Russia teeters on the brink of extinction, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
New START, the last remaining treaty controlling the nuclear arsenals of the world’s two greatest atomic powers, is set to expire Thursday. With its demise, decades of carefully constructed safeguards dating back to the Cold War will vanish into history.
“In just a few days, the world will be in a more dangerous position than it has ever been before,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared during his daily briefing, his words carrying the weight of unprecedented stakes.
Russia has extended an olive branch, a one year extension proposal but Washington’s silence speaks volumes. “We still haven’t received a response from the Americans to this initiative,” Peskov noted, frustration evident in his tone.
Should the treaty collapse, the superpowers would find themselves adrift without “a fundamental document that would limit and control these arsenals” for the first time in generations. The implications are chilling: no caps, no inspections, no accountability.
The treaty’s history adds poignancy to its potential demise. Signed in 2010 by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama, it represented hope for continued dialogue even amid disagreements. It included monitoring mechanisms, mutual transparency designed to prevent miscalculation.
Yet cracks appeared. Russia suspended inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing health concerns. The Ukraine war deepened the chasm, poisoning negotiations. Moscow accused Washington of blocking Russian monitoring missions on American soil. In 2023, Russia formally froze its participation, though it claimed continued voluntary compliance with treaty limits.
Meanwhile, the nuclear drumbeat intensifies. Russia recently tested advanced nuclear weapon carriers without warheads, they insist. President Donald Trump, who dismantled numerous international agreements during his previous term, responded by repositioning two nuclear submarines closer to Russian waters.
Trump once called extending New START “a good idea,” but words haven’t translated into action. The clock runs out Thursday, and the world watches, waiting to see if reason prevails or if we step into the nuclear unknown.
