Russia violated nuclear deal for years, new agreement is needed — Rubio
Photo: Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State (Getty Images)
Russia ignored the New START treaty on limiting nuclear arsenals for years, prompting the United States to seek a new agreement, stated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Russia’s responsibility for the collapse of arms control
Rubio rejected accusations that the United States is fueling a new nuclear arms race, stressing that it was Russia that dismantled the existing arms-control framework.
"These concerns ignore that Russia ceased implementing the New START treaty in 2023, after flouting its terms for years. A treaty requires at least two parties," Rubio said.
He said Washington faced a choice: either continue to comply with the agreement unilaterally or acknowledge that the New START era had come to an end.
A new threat: Russia and China
The US Secretary of State also noted that Russia supports China's rapid and opaque nuclear build-up. Since 2020, China’s nuclear warhead stockpile has grown from about 200 to more than 600 and could exceed 1,000 by 2030.
According to Rubio, the former bilateral US–Russia model is outdated, as Washington now faces two "nuclear peer arsenals."
Negotiating from a position of strength
Rubio also outlined new arms-control principles put forward by President Donald Trump:
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Arms control must be multilateral. China must bear responsibility alongside Russia;
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No concessions for violators, as the United States will not accept terms that ignore Moscow’s failure to comply with past agreements;
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A position of strength, with the US modernizing its nuclear forces as rivals expand theirs.
"Russia and China should not expect the United States to stand still while they shirk their obligations and expand their nuclear forces. We will maintain a robust, credible, and modernized nuclear deterrent," Rubio emphasized.
Trump wants a new deal
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said a new "improved and modernized" nuclear agreement with Russia is needed.
He criticized the existing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), calling it "a badly negotiated deal" that Russia has also been grossly violating.
Trump urged involving nuclear experts in drafting a document that could remain in force for a long period.
