It intends to maintain a responsible stance on the issue of strategic stability even after the end of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), but its decisions will be primarily guided by its national interests. This position was expressed by the press representative of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, during the press briefing.
The validity of the treaty for the limitation of strategic nuclear weapons has ended, which has caused concern at an international level, with reactions being registered by European countries, the , and the United Nations. For its part, Moscow appeared reassuring, without, however, failing to underline that its national interest remains a decisive factor in the formulation of its policy.
What does Russia say on the matter?
Dmitry Peskov expressed the regret of the Russian leadership for the end of the treaty and the fact that no agreement was reached on its renewal.
Referring to Russia’s stance from now on, he stressed that “the Russian Federation, in any case, will continue to take a responsible and prudent approach to the issue of strategic stability in the field of nuclear weapons, while, as always, it will be guided primarily by its national interests.”
At the same time, Russian sources recalled that Moscow had proposed to continue the implementation of the START treaty restrictions for another year after its expiration, without so far there has been an official response from Washington.
As for China’s stance on a possible multilateral agreement to limit nuclear weapons, the Kremlin spokesman said Moscow respects Beijing’s position. As he said, the Chinese side maintains that its nuclear arsenal is not comparable in size and power to those of the United States and Russia, and therefore considers it inappropriate to participate in such negotiations.
China’s approach to disarmament
For its part, China has made it clear earlier that, “at this stage,” it does not intend to participate in nuclear disarmament talks, despite repeated urgings from Washington of the need to start such negotiations, after the expiration of the last bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty between the United States and Russia.
During a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stressed that China’s nuclear capabilities are “on a completely different scale” compared to those of the US and Russia. “For this reason, China will not, at this stage, participate in negotiations on nuclear disarmament,” he said.
Beijing regrets the end of the Treaty
Lin Jian, however, expressed Beijing’s regret over the termination of the New START treaty between Washington and Moscow, noting that it was “an important chapter in safeguarding global strategic stability.”
At the same time, he reiterated that China maintains its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level it deems necessary for its national security and that it is not participating in any arms race with any other country.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), China possessed at least 600 nuclear warheads by early 2025 — a number significantly smaller than the arsenals of Russia and the US. However, as the Institute points out, China’s nuclear arsenal is growing faster than that of any other country, with about 100 new nuclear warheads being added annually from 2023.
The representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry finally reiterated that Beijing has always followed a strategy of nuclear self-defense, implements a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, and has made an unconditional commitment not to use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons in non-nuclear-weapon states, as well as in nuclear-weapon-free zones.
