With mere hours until the expiration of the last nuclear treaty binding the United States and Russia, experts and international security officials warned on Wednesday of the looming threat of a renewed nuclear arms race, potentially reverting the world to Cold War dynamics.
According to Western diplomatic sources, the end of this treaty concludes a series of historic agreements that Washington and Moscow have adhered to for decades, aimed at limiting the number of nuclear warheads and launch systems since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Analysts believe that the lack of a binding legal framework between the two largest nuclear powers could pave the way for the development and deployment of new strategic weapons amid escalating political and military tensions.
However, no clear indications have emerged regarding either party's intention to reach an alternative agreement, heightening fears of a new phase of global nuclear instability.