Don’t Lose the New START Treaty. Use It

Amid US gunboat diplomacy in Venezuela and threats to annex Greenland, it would be easy to forget that the last major nuclear arms-control agreement between the world’s nuclear powers runs out in less than a month. The administration’s original, 28-point peace plan for Ukraine called for the pact to be extended. It’s an idea well worth pursuing, at the right price.

The New START treaty, which expires Feb. 5, limits the US and Russia to deploying 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads each and 700 long-range delivery platforms, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended his country’s participation in the treaty in February 2023 while pledging to adhere to its numerical limits. In September, he offered to continue the same arrangement until February 2027, framing the issue as part of a reset between the two nations.