Russia says nuclear weapons are the only guarantee against global war

The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that nuclear weapons are the “only” safeguard that keeps the world from descending into a global war, amid concerns that a new multi‑country arms race could emerge.

The last nuclear‑arms‑control agreement between Russia and the United States, New START, expired in February, lifting restrictions that had bound the two largest nuclear powers.

So far, neither side has signaled an intention to renew or replace the treaty, even though both parties had agreed to resume high‑level military talks.

At a foreign‑policy forum in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the global security system was “eroding.”

“In fact, we have nothing left in this world apart from nuclear deterrence. It’s the only thing that protects the world from a global war,” he said.

“As technology is developing, it is already clear that new types of non‑nuclear weapons will emerge, but they may eventually match nuclear weapons in destructive power,” Peskov added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly used nuclear rhetoric during his four‑year offensive in Ukraine, drawing accusations of reckless “sabre‑rattling” from Europe and the United States.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a new treaty that would include China, whose nuclear arsenal is growing but remains far smaller than those of Russia or the United States.

Beijing has publicly rejected that pressure.

Moscow says that if China is brought into a new deal, then Washington’s nuclear allies—Britain and France—should be included as well.

The lapse of New START marked the first time in decades that no treaty was in force to limit the deployment of nuclear weapons.

Signed in 2010, the agreement was the last in a series of Cold War‑era arms‑control accords, limiting Moscow and Washington to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each.

Before it lapsed, both countries repeatedly accused each other of failing to adhere to the deal.