End of U.S.-Russia nuclear pact a ‘grave moment’: UN chief

UN chief warns of a "grave moment" for global security as U.S.-Russia nuclear pact New START expires, urging new negotiations.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) urged the United States and Russia to quickly sign a new nuclear deal, as the existing treaty was set to expire in a “grave moment for international peace and security.”

The New START agreement will end Thursday (February 5, 2026), formally releasing both Moscow and Washington from a raft of restrictions on their nuclear arsenals.

“For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States of America,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement.

The UN secretary-general added that New START and other arms control treaties had “drastically improved the security of all peoples.”

“This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time — the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades,” he said, without giving more details.

Mr. Guterres urged Washington and Moscow “to return to the negotiating table without delay and to agree upon a successor framework.”