New START treaty between the US and Russia has expired

The New START Treaty, signed in 2010, expired on 5 February 2026, ending the treaty limits on US and Russian nuclear stockpiles.

The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by the United States and Russia, expired on 5 February 2026. It continued a chain of bilateral nuclear arms control agreements between the two countries that dates back to 1991. With the treaty no longer in force, there is no longer a treaty limit on the number of nuclear weapons either side can stockpile. The BBC's Washington correspondent Daniel Bush outlines what this development means for nuclear weapons policy. Key points: - The New START Treaty was signed in 2010 and expired on 5 February 2026. - The treaty had continued a series of US–Russia arms control agreements tracing back to 1991. - Its expiry leaves no treaty limit on the number of nuclear weapons the United States and Russia can hold. Summary: The treaty's expiry removes standing treaty limits on US and Russian nuclear stockpiles and ends a long-running framework of bilateral arms control. Undetermined at this time.