Russia will continue to adhere to the strategic missile and warhead ceilings set under the now-expired New START agreement, provided the United States does not exceed those thresholds, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told lawmakers on Wednesday.
The landmark 2010 arms control deal formally expired on 5 February, leaving Washington and Moscow without legally binding restrictions on their strategic nuclear forces for the first time in decades. Despite that, Moscow says it will voluntarily remain within the previous limits - on the condition that the U.S. does the same.
Lavrov told members of Russia’s lower house of parliament that the Kremlin’s previously announced pause on expanding beyond treaty caps remains in place but only so long as the United States refrains from surpassing them.
President Donald Trump has declined a proposal to continue observing the treaty for another year. Instead, he has argued for negotiating a broader and updated framework that reflects what he describes as a new security reality.
Lavrov said Russia sees no immediate indication that Washington intends to move beyond the former limits. He also renewed calls for structured talks on strategic stability, describing such dialogue as overdue.
The expiration of New START has intensified debate over the risk of a broader nuclear competition, potentially involving China, which maintains a smaller arsenal but is expanding its capabilities rapidly.
Security analysts say Russia’s position allows it to avoid immediate escalation while keeping room to modernise systems not previously covered by the treaty. At the same time, Moscow faces financial pressure linked to its prolonged war in Ukraine, a factor that could weigh on any major expansion of its nuclear programme.
Even if fighting in Ukraine were to ease, experts note that Russia would still need to rebuild its conventional forces, which would limit how aggressively it could pursue a large-scale nuclear build-up.
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Northern European countries must significantly boost military drone production to help Ukraine defeat Russia, Latvia’s Prime Minister has said, warning that victory would be “impossible” without greater support.
Central Asia’s energy systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable as countries depend heavily on single power sources while facing mounting climate pressures, a new report by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) warns.
Russia has delivered a large shipment of humanitarian aid to Iran, as ongoing conflict damages health infrastructure and leaves civilians in urgent need of care.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigned on Wednesday after her coalition suffered a heavy election defeat, triggering negotiations over who will form the next government.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has introduced a policy requiring athletes to undergo a one-off gene test to compete in female Olympic events, limiting eligibility to biological women.
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Russia has welcomed remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggesting the U.S. is making security guarantees conditional on Kyiv relinquishing control of the Donbas region.
An industrial area near one of Russia's biggest oil refineries was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, a Russian official said on Thursday.
Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo on Thursday says the next arms sale package from the United States is on track after the government received a letter of guarantee from Washington, even as the U.S. and Chinese leaders prepare to meet in May.
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