New START Treaty Set to Expire Amid Renewed Arms Race

The New START treaty, the last remaining arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, is set to expire next year, raising concerns among analysts about the potential for a renewed nuclear arms race. Despite previous reductions in nuclear stockpiles under treaties like START I and the 2010 New START agreement, recent years have seen heightened tensions, with Russia making repeated nuclear threats toward Ukraine's Western allies. These developments make the prospect of negotiating a new nuclear deterrence agreement increasingly complex as political relations deteriorate. The looming expiration of New START underscores the fragility of current arms control efforts and the risk of strategic instability if no replacement is reached.