WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday joined 21 members of Congress in writing a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to replace the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a nuclear arms agreement between the United States and Russia. On February 5, 2026, the 2010 New START Treaty between the United States and Russia will expire. Unless a new agreement is in place by that date, there will be no legal limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces, reversing decades of work to reduce the risk of nuclear war. In their letter, the bicameral lawmakers urge Secretary Rubio to work with Congress to replace New START and prevent a dangerous and costly arms race between the United States and Russia.

“The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to initiate high-level talks for a new pact and, until those talks reach completion, to mutually agree to respect the limits of New START using existing technical means of verification. Given the time it would take to negotiate a new agreement, an executive understanding that both sides will adhere to New START limits would help to reduce uncertainty in this interim period,” the members wrote.

They added: “We condemn Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling against Ukraine. Russia’s illegal war against the Ukrainian people is at odds with our democratic ideals. Yet even when our nations have had profound disagreements, including during the Cold War, we managed to come to the table to bring the world back from the precipice of nuclear catastrophe.”

U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D.-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also signed the letter, along with U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-Ill.-11), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.-02), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.-05), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas-37).

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Rubio:

On February 5, 2026, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the United States and Russia will expire. Unless a new agreement is in place by that date, there will be no legal limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces, reversing decades of work to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

We urge you to work with Congress to replace New START and prevent a dangerous and costly arms race between the United States and Russia, the world’s two largest nuclear powers. We also ask that the Department of State provide a briefing on the Administration’s plan for New START in a timely manner.

For five decades, American presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and both George H.W. and George W. Bush, have supported the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control process. This long-standing, bipartisan effort has enjoyed high approval ratings among the American public, who recognize the dangers of nuclear proliferation.

The Trump Administration has a historic opportunity to initiate high-level talks for a new pact and, until those talks reach completion, to mutually agree to respect the limits of New START using existing technical means of verification. Given the time it would take to negotiate a new agreement, an executive understanding that both sides will adhere to New START limits would help to reduce uncertainty in this interim period. It is critical that the Administration not increase the U.S. arsenal above New START limits or resume nuclear testing, which would set back the bipartisan progress made on nuclear nonproliferation and arms control. An unconstrained arms race would make the U.S. less secure and increase the risks to global security.

New START enhances U.S. national security by placing legal limits on all Russian-deployed intercontinentalrange nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia agreed in 2021 to extend the treaty through February 5, 2026, and in February 2023, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was “suspending” its implementation of the treaty. While Russia has agreed to abide by the treaty’s limits, we believe it is in the best interest of both of our nations to pursue formal mechanisms aimed at preventing a nuclear arms race.

We condemn Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling against Ukraine. Russia’s illegal war against the Ukrainian people is at odds with our democratic ideals. Yet even when our nations have had profound disagreements, including during the Cold War, we managed to come to the table to bring the world back from the precipice of nuclear catastrophe. Today, we must do so again.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

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