The Kremlin has described nuclear weapons as the only effective safeguard against a global conflict, warning that the world’s security framework is steadily weakening amid concerns about a new international arms race.

The final nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States, New START, expired in February, removing limits on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. Despite plans to resume high-level military discussions, neither country has indicated any intention to renew or replace the treaty.

Speaking at a foreign policy forum in Moscow on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said nuclear deterrence remains the sole factor preventing a worldwide war. He also cautioned that advances in technology could eventually produce non-nuclear weapons capable of causing destruction comparable to that of nuclear arms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently referenced Russia’s nuclear capabilities during the conflict in Ukraine, drawing criticism from Western nations, which accuse Moscow of using nuclear threats to intimidate its rivals.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has advocated for a new arms-control agreement that would include China. However, Beijing has rejected such proposals, insisting it should not be pressured into joining the negotiations.

Russia maintains that if China is involved in any future treaty, then America’s nuclear-armed allies, Britain and France, should also be included.

The end of New START marks the first time in decades that no active agreement exists to limit the deployment of nuclear weapons. The treaty, signed in 2010, capped both Russia and the United States at 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads. Before its expiration, both sides repeatedly accused each other of violating its terms.