U.S. & Russia Arms Treaties

17 SEPTEMBER 2025

1. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

SALT I (1972)
- First agreement to limit nuclear weapons.
- Froze the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
- Included the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, limiting missile defence systems.
SALT II (1979)
- Sought to cap strategic launchers and MIRVs (Multiple Independently-targetable Re-entry Vehicles).
- Signed by Carter & Brezhnev, but never ratified due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- Both sides mostly observed it informally until the mid-1980s.

2. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) (1987)

Eliminated all U.S. and Soviet ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500–5,500 km.
First treaty to abolish an entire class of nuclear weapons.
U.S. withdrew in 2019, citing Russian violations (deployment of the 9M729 missile).

3. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START)

START I (1991)
- Reduced deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 6,000 and delivery vehicles to 1,600.
- Landmark in cutting Cold War arsenals.
START II (1993)
- Banned MIRVed ICBMs.
- Ratified by U.S. but never fully implemented; Russia withdrew in 2002 after U.S. exit from the ABM Treaty.
START III (Never finalized, 1990s talks)
- Intended to cut warheads further to 2,000–2,500. Talks collapsed.

4. Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT / Moscow Treaty) (2002)

5. New START (2010 – present)

Signed by Obama & Medvedev.
Limits both sides to:
- 1,550 deployed strategic warheads
- 700 deployed missiles/bombers
- 800 total launchers (deployed + non-deployed)
Verification system with inspections.
Extended until 2026 (last remaining arms control treaty between U.S. & Russia).
In 2023, Russia suspended participation, citing U.S. hostility over the Ukraine war, though it has not formally withdrawn.

6. Others

Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty (1972) – limited missile defense systems; U.S. withdrew in 2002.
Open Skies Treaty (1992) – allowed aerial surveillance flights; U.S. withdrew in 2020, Russia in 2021.
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT, 1996) – Russia ratified, U.S. signed but never ratified.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT, 1968) – both remain parties.

Presently, only New START remains in force (until 2026, unless replaced or extended).

Arms control is at its weakest point since the 1970s.