Overview
- With New START’s Feb. 5 expiry, the last binding limits and on‑site verification on U.S. and Russian strategic forces have lapsed.
- The U.S. met a Russian delegation in Geneva on Monday and is meeting a Chinese delegation on Tuesday, after preparatory sessions in Washington, while also consulting Britain and France on possible P5 or other formats.
- Assistant Secretary Christopher Yeaw alleged a rapid, opaque Chinese arsenal expansion and outlined declassified details of a probable low‑yield underground event at Lop Nur on June 22, 2020, while saying China could approach parity within four to five years and have fissile material for 1,000+ warheads by 2030.
- China’s disarmament ambassador Shen Jian rejected the testing claim as baseless, said Beijing supports the test‑ban regime, and argued it is unrealistic to demand China join trilateral talks given the smaller size of its arsenal.
- President Vladimir Putin said nuclear‑force development is an “absolute priority,” as U.S. officials say they are pursuing a broader, verifiable agreement even as formal interim restraints remain absent.