WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States is calling for a new era of nuclear arms control that goes beyond Cold War–era agreements, arguing that the expiration of the New START treaty underscores the need for a broader, multilateral framework that reflects today’s global security landscape.
In an essay released a day after New START formally expired, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said past arms control agreements played an important role in improving U.S. and global security but warned that bilateral treaties with Russia no longer align with current strategic realities.
“Everything has its season, though, and yesterday, New START expired,” Rubio wrote, rejecting claims that the treaty’s end marks the beginning of a U.S.-driven nuclear arms race. He said Russia stopped implementing the agreement in 2023 after years of violating its terms.
“A treaty requires at least two parties,” Rubio wrote, adding that the United States faced a choice between continuing to bind itself unilaterally or acknowledging that “a new era requires a new approach.”
Rubio said future arms control efforts must account for the shifting global nuclear balance, particularly China’s rapid expansion of its arsenal. He wrote that China’s buildup since New START entered into force has rendered previous arms control models obsolete.
According to Rubio, China’s nuclear stockpile has grown from the low 200s to more than 600 warheads since 2020 and is projected to exceed 1,000 warheads by 2030. Any agreement that fails to address China’s capabilities, he said, would leave the United States and its allies less secure.
Rubio said President Donald Trump has been clear that future arms control initiatives must treat both Russia and China as nuclear peers. He added that Washington has already presented its proposed approach in Geneva, calling for multilateral nuclear arms control and strategic stability discussions.
Outlining the administration’s position, Rubio said arms control can no longer be treated as a strictly bilateral issue and that other nuclear-armed nations, particularly China, bear responsibility for maintaining strategic stability.
He also emphasized that the United States would not accept agreements that ignore violations or undermine national security. “We will not accept terms that harm the United States or overlook noncompliance in the pursuit of a future agreement,” Rubio wrote.
At the same time, he said the U.S. would maintain a strong and modernized nuclear deterrent while pursuing the president’s stated goal of reducing global nuclear risks.
Acknowledging that negotiations could take years, Rubio noted that previous treaties required decades of groundwork and were negotiated between two countries rather than multiple nuclear powers. Still, he argued that the difficulty of the task should not deter diplomatic efforts.
“Just because something is hard does not mean we should not pursue it or settle for less,” Rubio wrote, adding that the most challenging agreements are often “the only ones worth having.”
He said the United States hopes other nations will join efforts to reduce nuclear dangers in meaningful and enforceable ways, rather than merely in principle. (Source: IANS)
