MOSCOW, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it assumes parties to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States are no longer bound by any obligations in the context of the deal.
The ministry said Russia had received no formalized official response from the United States to the Russian initiative on extending voluntary restraint on nuclear arms ceilings beyond the treaty's expiration on Feb. 5.
"In the current circumstances, we assume that the parties to the New START are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations in the context of the Treaty, including its core provisions, and are in principle free to choose their next steps," it said in a statement.
Russia remains ready to take decisive military-technical measures to counter potential additional threats to national security, the ministry said, adding that it remains open to political and diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing the strategic situation if appropriate conditions are created.
The New START treaty, signed by Russia and the United States in 2010, aims to limit the number of deployed nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles. The treaty entered into force on Feb. 5, 2011, with an original validity period of 10 years and was later extended to Feb. 5, 2026.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September 2025 that Russia would continue to observe the core limits of the treaty for one year after its expiration, provided that the U.S. refrains from actions that undermine the existing strategic balance.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in January that he was not concerned about the treaty's impending expiration and expressed hope that the two sides would reach a new agreement.
The treaty is the only remaining arms control pact between the two nations after Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019. ■