‘Russia to stick to nuclear arms limits for one more year’, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• President Putin announced that Russia will adhere to nuclear arms limits for one more year under the New START Treaty [expiring in February 2026].
• Putin urged Washington to follow suit, emphasizing that terminating the New START Treaty would be destabilizing and could fuel nuclear weapons proliferation.
• Russia is prepared to keep adhering to the central quantitative limitations of the New START Treaty for one year after February 5, 2026.

Detailed Insights:

• The New START Treaty is the last remaining nuclear arms pact between the U.S. and Russia, limiting the number of deployed nuclear warheads.
• The termination of the treaty could trigger a new nuclear arms race, increasing the risk of nuclear conflict between major global powers.
• Maintaining the New START Treaty ensures a degree of predictability and stability in nuclear arms control during a turbulent geopolitical period.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Nuclear Proliferation: The spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States".
• Arms Race: A competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces and weaponry.
• New START Treaty: A nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation, with the aim of verifiably reducing the strategic offensive arms of both countries.