UN chief calls New START expiration 'grave moment'

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference outlining his priorities for 2026 at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Feb 4 (Reuters) - United Nations ‌Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called the expiration of the ‌New START Treaty a grave moment for international peace and ‌security and urged Russia and the United States to negotiate a new nuclear arms control framework without delay.

New START, which was due to run out at midnight on ‍Wednesday, capped the number of strategic nuclear warheads ‍that the United States and ‌Russia can deploy, and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and ‍bombers ​to deliver them.