Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, warned on Thursday that the expiry of the New START nuclear arms treaty without a replacement should alarm the world. He stressed that such a scenario would leave the United States and Russia without limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals for the first time since the early 1970s.

Speaking to Reuters, TASS, and the Russian war blogger WarGonzo at his residence outside Moscow, Medvedev said, “I don’t want to say that this immediately means a catastrophe and a nuclear war will begin, but it should still alarm everyone.”

Medvedev highlighted the broader importance of arms control agreements, noting that they not only limit the number of deployed warheads but also provide mechanisms for verifying intentions and maintaining a degree of trust between the world’s major nuclear powers.

start treaty expiration

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) at Prague Castle in Prague April 8, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo

The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 on each side and limits delivery systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and heavy bombers. Its potential lapse raises fears of an unrestrained nuclear arms race at a time when geopolitical tensions remain high.

Arms control experts have long argued that such treaties serve as critical tools for global stability, allowing the two largest nuclear nations to monitor each other’s arsenals and reduce the risk of miscalculation or escalation.