Global security faces uncertainty as the New START nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia officially expired this week, with former President Donald Trump calling for a "totally reimagined" agreement. The 2026 deadline arrived without extension talks, leaving arms control experts scrambling to assess risks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed there's no stopgap measure to maintain the treaty's inspection protocols and warhead limits. "We need next-gen solutions for modern threats," she stated, echoing Trump's campaign trail remarks about outdated Cold War-era frameworks.
Arms control analyst Dr. Priya Varma warns: "This creates dangerous ambiguity. Without verification systems, we're essentially flying blind – and that's how accidents or escalations happen." Social media has erupted with memes comparing the situation to Netflix's Leave the World Behind, though the real-world stakes are decidedly less fictional.
