The number of Russian deployed nuclear warheads "may have exceeded" an arms control treaty's limit, the United States government warned in a report to Congress last week.
Newsweek has emailed both the Russian defense and foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
In 2010, the U.S. and Russia signed the New START nuclear arms reduction agreement. The bilateral arms control treaty came into force the following year and is scheduled to expire in February 2026.
The treaty, which President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia's participation in two years ago, obligates Washington and Moscow to limit deployed warheads to no more than 1,550.
What To Know
In a report issued last Friday, the U.S. State Department assessed with "high confidence" that while Russia failed to fulfill its obligations with respect to the treaty's verification regime, it did not participate in any large-scale activity above the treaty limit last year.
"However, Russia was probably close to the deployed warhead limit during much of the year and may have exceeded the deployed warhead limit by a small number during portions of 2024," the report warned, which constituted a "serious compliance concern."
Washington continues to assess that there is not a "strategic imbalance" between the U.S. and Russia that endangers America's national security interests, the report concluded.
The most recent available data provided by Russia was current as of September 2022, when it possessed 1,549 deployed nuclear warheads, just one below the treaty limit. The U.S. had 1,420 deployed nuclear warheads as of the same month and 1,419 as of March 2023.
Washington ceased to provide its updated nuclear weapons data required under the treaty after March 2023, claiming it was a countermeasure against Russia's ongoing violations of the arms control agreement, including its failure to exchange its data subject to the treaty.
As of September 2023, the American nuclear stockpile consisted of 3,748 operational and non-operational warheads, according to data provided by the U.S. Energy Department.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. State Department said in its latest report to Congress on New START: "The Russian Federation's noncompliance with the New START Treaty further underscores the vital importance of retaining and modernizing a safe, secure, and effective U.S. nuclear deterrent and achieving a resilient and adaptive nuclear security enterprise."
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21, 2023: "I have to say today that Russia is suspending its participation in New START. I repeat, not withdrawing from the treaty, no, but merely suspending its participation."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the Kremlin will negotiate a new arms control agreement with the Trump administration as New START reaches its end. However, both the U.S. and Russia are likely to continue to modernize their nuclear forces.
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