The Fox News Rundown Evening Edition: President Trump Wants New Arms Treaty With Russia
Feb 5, 2026
Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, specializes in nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. She discusses the end of New START, Russia’s verification suspensions, the risks of bilateral limits as China’s arsenal grows, and the challenges and models for bringing additional powers into future arms control talks.
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End Of Decades-Long Nuclear Restraint
- New START provided transparency and caps (1550 deployed warheads) that helped stabilize U.S.-Russia relations after the Cold War.
- Andrea Stricker says its expiration marks the end of decades of cooperation and raises new risks with verification suspended.
Verification Mechanisms Have Broken Down
- Russia suspended New START verification mechanisms during the Ukraine war and inspections were halted since COVID-era disruptions.
- Stricker warns that Russia hasn't complied with many of the treaty's innovative verification steps since 2020–2023.
China Changes The Arms-Control Equation
- China now matters: an arms deal that only limits the U.S. and Russia could constrain the U.S. against a rising Chinese arsenal.
- Stricker notes the U.S. must evaluate deterring two near-peer competitors, not just Russia.