Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Friday, 10 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 October 2025. It was answered by Stephen Doughty (Labour) on Wednesday, 22 October 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

New START Treaty

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has she made on renewing the New START Treaty before its expiration in February 2026.

Answer: The New START Treaty is a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russian Federation; any replacement treaty is a matter for the US and Russia. The UK regularly raises issues related to strategic risk reduction, including arms control with the USA and Russia through the expert-level P5 process. Genuine and verifiable strategic arms control among the largest Nuclear Weapons States can be a positive step for global security. However, following Russia's decision to suspend participation in New START verification measures in 2023, future approaches need to be based on concrete, and verifiable actions.

Secondary information