00:00Just hours ago, a major pillar of global security quietly collapsed, and the United Nations is
00:25warning, this could not have happened at a worse time. The last remaining nuclear arms control
00:32treaty between the United States and Russia, New START, has officially expired, ending more than
00:38five decades of limits on the world's most powerful nuclear arsenals. The UN Secretary General
00:45Antonio Guterres calling this a grave moment for international peace and security. For the first
00:52time in over 50 years, there are no binding limits on the strategic nuclear weapons of
00:58the two countries that hold more than 80% of the world's nuclear warheads. Under New START,
01:05both sides were limited to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, a nearly 30% reduction from previous
01:13levels. That safety net is now gone. Guterres warns that decades of arms control, agreements
01:20that made the world safer, are now unraveling. And he says the risk of a nuclear weapon being
01:25used is the highest it has been in decades. This warning comes against the backdrop of the
01:31war in Ukraine, where Russia has previously floated the idea of using tactical nuclear weapons,
01:38adding to global fears of escalation. Former leaders from both sides have also sounded the
01:43alarm. Dmitry Medvedev saying the treaty's expiry should alarm everyone. Barack Obama warning it
01:50could spark a new arms race and make the world less safe. President Joe Biden had extended New START
01:57for five years in 2021. But relations between Washington and Moscow rapidly deteriorated after
02:04Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Under Donald Trump, the US did not pursue a follow-up agreement, despite a
02:11Russian proposal for a short extension. Diplomatic momentum simply stalled. Now, both countries confirm
02:18they are no longer bound by any obligations under the treaty. Russia saying it will act responsibly,
02:24but warning of decisive countermeasures if threatened. Global leaders are urging urgent action.
02:30Pope Aleel XIV calling on both sides to do everything possible to avoid a new arms race.
02:36The United States, meanwhile, says any future deal must include China, whose nuclear arsenal is growing
02:43rapidly, though it remains far smaller than those of the US and Russia. The clock is now ticking,
02:50with no limits, no verification, and no clear path forward. As the world enters this new, uncharted
02:57nuclear era, the question is no longer if talks should resume, but how long the world can afford to wait.
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