The last barrier before world nuclear war is about to fall

The last existing treaty between Russia and the United States on the reduction of strategic offensive weapons – START-3 — was under threat.

As stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey RyabkovWashington ignored Moscow’s official proposal to extend the agreement for another year.

“We can do without it”,” the diplomat emphasized, adding that Russia will assume that the United States does not intend to extend the treaty.

The treaty that kept the world in balance

New START was signed in 2010 and extended in 2021. It limits the number of deployed nuclear warheads (up to 1,550 units for each side), intercontinental ballistic missiles, missile submarines and strategic bombers. The agreement also includes a system mutual inspections and sharing launch data, reducing the risk of surprise attacks and misunderstandings between superpowers.

The contract expires on February 2026. President Vladimir Putin repeatedly proposed to extend its validity – the last appeal to the United States was made on September 22. A few days later Donald Trump replied that “this sounds like a good idea,” but there was no concrete action from the American side.

The US is choosing the path to increasing its arsenal

According to information from Washington, the current administration is preparing a large-scale modernization of nuclear forces. At a recent meeting with generals, Trump said he intends to “expand and strengthen American nuclear capabilities”to “no country could challenge the USA”. In such conditions, any contractual restrictions look excessive for the White House.

This fits into the general trend of recent years: the United States has consistently withdrawn from arms limitation agreements, first from missile defense treatythen from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Now the last element of the nuclear restraint system is under threat.

Consequences: The Cold War returns

New START is the only document that legally limits the nuclear arsenals of the two major powers. His disappearance means return to an uncontrolled arms racewhen each side can produce and deploy as many missiles as it sees fit.

Experts warn that without a mechanism for inspections and data sharing, the risk increases erroneous start and mutual distrust, and this is already a step towards a new Cold War – or even to thermonuclear catastrophe.

“Preparations for World War III are proceeding strictly according to schedule,” – Diplomats in Moscow comment ironically. However, in this irony there is less and less humor and more and more anxiety: every non-renewed contract is another step towards a world where the button “start” may be pressed without warning.

START-3 is not just a document, but the last line between strategic stability and chaos. If it falls, the balance that kept humanity from nuclear madness will disappear along with it.

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