New START Treaty
• Type: Bilateral nuclear arms-control treaty between U.S. and Russia
• Signed: 2010 (Prague)
• Entered into force: 2011
• Expiry: February 2026 (now set to lapse; Russia offering 1-year extension)
• Replaced: START-I (1991–2009)
Why Important
• Only remaining nuclear arms-control treaty between U.S. and Russia
• Sets rules to monitor, verify and cap the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals
• Expiry would mean no legal limits on their strategic nuclear weapons
Key Provisions
• Limits deployed strategic nuclear warheads
• Includes robust verification measures: inspections, data exchange, notifications
