Pope warns of new arms race as New START set to expireAFP, VATICAN CITYPope Leo XIV yesterday warned of the risk of “a new arms race” as the last US-Russia nuclear treaty is set to expire. New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is due to expire today, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers. Photo: EPA“The current situation requires us to do everything possible to avert a new arms race, which further threatens peace between nations,” he said. The treaty, which included a monitoring mechanism, was signed in 2010 by then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and then-US president Barack Obama. In 2023, Russia froze its participation in New START, but it has continued to voluntarily adhere to the limits set in the treaty.

Source: Taipei Times February 04, 2026 18:45 UTC