NATO calls for ‘responsibility and restraint’ as last US-Russia nuclear treaty expires

By AFP 5 February 2026, 11:34 am

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This grab from a handout footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry press service on December 30, 2025, shows what is said is deployment of a Russian Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile system for combat duty at an undisclosed location in Belarus. (Handout / Russian Defense Ministry / AFP)

NATO urges “responsibility and restraint” as the New START treaty between the United States and Russia imposing limits on their nuclear arsenals expires, raising fears of a new arms race.

“Restraint and responsibility in the nuclear domain is crucial to global security,” an official from the US-led military alliance says, on condition of anonymity.

The official says Russia and China are both ramping up their nuclear capabilities and that NATO “will continue to take steps necessary” to ensure its own defenses.