5 At the White House press briefing, White House Press Secretary Levitt made a major announcement:

Trump openly stated that he would no longer abide by the New START Treaty, calling it "terrible," and clearly expressed his intention not to extend it. He demanded that experts develop a new nuclear arms control agreement that better serves American interests.

The New START Treaty (New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is an important bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia. Its full name is the "Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms."

The treaty stipulates that each side's deployed strategic nuclear warheads shall not exceed 1,550.

The total number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers shall not exceed 700 (with an additional 100 allowed as spare, totaling no more than 800).

Both sides ensure transparency and compliance verification through data exchanges, on-site inspections, and satellite monitoring.

Each side may conduct up to 18 on-site inspections annually and regularly exchange data on nuclear forces.

The treaty was signed in 2010 and entered into force in 2011, with an initial term of 10 years (until 2021).

In 2021, the U.S. and Russia agreed to extend the treaty until February 5, 2026.

On the day the New START Treaty expires (February 5, 2026), Trump posted on social media, accusing the treaty as a "terrible" agreement signed by the Democratic administration and claiming it had been "seriously violated," but provided no specific evidence. He advocated abandoning the extension of the treaty and instead having U.S. experts draft a new treaty that is "long-term effective, improved, and modernized."

He emphasized that the new improved nuclear arms control treaty would bring China into the fold.

Previously, Trump suddenly stated that he hoped to "maintain nuclear weapons restrictions and include China in nuclear disarmament negotiations." The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson clearly responded on February 3:

Nuclear force imbalance: The scale of China's nuclear arsenal is completely not on the same level as that of the United States;

It is "unfair and unreasonable" to require China to participate in negotiations at this stage, which is essentially an attempt by the U.S. to shift blame, aiming to cover up its unilateral abandonment of arms control responsibilities. China emphasized that it has always adhered to the strategy of "minimum deterrence" and opposes being bound into the U.S.-Russia bilateral nuclear disarmament framework.

China expressed willingness to participate in multilateral negotiations after the U.S. and Russia have significantly reduced their nuclear arsenals.

The New START Treaty was once regarded as the "pillar of nuclear disarmament in the post-Cold War era." Its survival crisis reflects the complexity of current great power competition. Although the treaty has expired, the mechanisms of mutual trust and verification experience it established remain an important reference for any future negotiations. Global strategic stability still relies on rational dialogue and shared responsibility among major powers. Nuclear arms control remains the cornerstone of global strategic stability, and the international community generally calls on both sides to resume dialogue and avoid escalating nuclear risks.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856383607809036/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.