US and Russia Agree to Reestablish Military Dialogue After Nuclear Treaty Expires

The US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue, the Pentagon said on Thursday, hours after the expiration of the new START treaty that imposed limits on their nuclear arsenals. “Maintaining dialogue between militaries is an important factor in global stability and peace, which can only be achieved through strength, and provides a means for increased transparency and de-escalation," the US military’s European Command said in a statement. The Kremlin on Thursday expressed regret over the end of the last treaty governing the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the US and called it a negative step. Meanwhile, a NATO official saying on the condition of anonymity, “Restraint and responsibility in the nuclear domain is crucial to global security." Also Read: NATO Pushes For ‘Restraint’ As US-Russia Nuclear Treaty Expires AFP quoted Russia saying that it is no longer bound on the number of nuclear warheads it could deploy after the New START agreement ended Thursday, formally releasing both Moscow and Washington from a raft of restrictions. The accord, signed in 2010, was the key component of the US administration’s policy to reset relations with the Kremlin. It limited the arsenals of both to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic offensive warheads each – a reduction of about 30% compared with the previous ceiling set in 2002. It also put a limit to the number of launchers and heavy bombers at 800. According to AFP, the treaty provided for mutual inspections of military sites, a pillar of the “trust but verify" disarmament policy when Ronald Reagan was US president. The treaty was signed as a last-minute deal in January 2021 between Russia and then US President Joe Biden’s administration to extend it to February 4, 2026. In September last year, Vladimir Putin proposed extending the treaty’s terms for one more year, which was approved by Donald Trump but was not followed up on.