Nuclear arms pact ends

THE Kremlin said it regretted the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States that left no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.

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Arms control experts say the termination of the New Start Treaty could set the stage for an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty’s limits for another year if Washington followed suit. However, US President Donald Trump has been noncommittal about extending it and indicated he wants China to be a part of a new pact. Beijing has rebuffed this as they say their nuclear arsenal is not comparable with those of the US and Russia.