Putin says nuclear forces development now an “absolute priority” after New START expiry

• Putin says boosting Russia’s nuclear forces is now an “absolute priority” after New START expired.

Vladimir Putin said Sunday that strengthening Russia’s nuclear forces has become an “absolute priority” following the expiration of the last remaining arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington.

In a recorded message marking Defender of the Fatherland Day, a state holiday celebrated with military displays and patriotic events, Putin stressed the importance of modernizing Russia’s strategic capabilities.

“The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and the global balance of power, remains an absolute priority,” he said.

The treaty, known as New START, expired earlier this month. It was the last arms control agreement between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, limiting the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems held by each side.

Putin said Moscow had proposed extending the limits on nuclear arsenals for another year, but that Washington did not respond to the offer. Despite the treaty’s expiration, Russia has announced it will continue to adhere to the caps established under New START as long as the United States does the same.

The Russian president also pledged to continue strengthening the country’s conventional military forces, drawing on what he described as the experience gained during the four-year war in Ukraine.

He vowed to enhance the capabilities of the army and navy, saying all branches of the armed forces would see improvements in combat readiness, mobility and their ability to carry out operational missions “in all conditions, even the most difficult.”

The end of New START has heightened concerns among arms control experts about the future of nuclear risk reduction efforts, as tensions between Moscow and Washington remain strained over the conflict in Ukraine and broader geopolitical disputes.

New START, signed in 2010, placed verifiable limits on deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers, as well as the nuclear warheads they carry. Its expiration leaves no binding agreement in force to cap the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.