Bishops call for diplomacy and disarmament as nuclear agreement expires

‘At this critical moment, we pray for the renewal of diplomacy in the service of peace and the common good.’

Bishop Nicholas Hudson, lead bishop for conflict and peacebuilding and chair of the international affairs department at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has said that the expiry of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) marks a “setback for nuclear arms control at a time of already heightened geopolitical fragility”.

The last remaining major nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, New START was signed in 2010 by President Obama and President Medvedev, building on earlier agreements that drove reductions in Cold War weapon stocks.

It expired on 6 February 2026, removing the last agreed framework governing the size of the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world, which together make up 80 per cent of the world’s nuclear warheads.  

There is concern that the end of New START could lead to a dangerous arms race between the world’s biggest nuclear powers.

Bishop Hudson urged, “We must not return to an unchecked arms race. We must make strenuous efforts, not just to avoid an arms race but to achieve substantial multilateral cuts to nuclear and other weapon stocks.”

Donald Trump said last month that he would replace the treaty with “a better agreement” and the White House has said that Trump will decide a way forward “on his own timeline”.

Bishop Hudson said, “At this critical moment, we pray for the renewal of diplomacy in the service of peace and the common good.”

The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, also said, “The dangers posed by current conflicts around the world, including the devastating war in Ukraine, make the expiration of New START simply unacceptable.”

 “In renewing my encouragement for every constructive effort in favour of disarmament and mutual trust, I urgently call for this instrument not to be abandoned without seeking to ensure its concrete and effective follow-up,” Pope Leo XIV also urged on 4 February.

“The current situation requires that everything possible be done to avert a new arms race that would further threaten peace among nations.

“It is more urgent than ever to substitute the logic of fear and distrust with a shared ethos capable of guiding choices towards the common good and to make peace a treasure to be cherished by all.”

Church pleas for nuclear negotiations as US-Russia treaty expires

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: