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New START expires on February 4:
The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty
between USA and
Russia
plus
Youth
Fusion explores the
new environment for
Negotiating Nuclear
Risks
Dear Ellen Thomas,
The New
START treaty, the
last remaining agreement
constraining Russian and
US nuclear weapons, is
due to lapse on February
4. There are no
negotiations to extend
the terms of the treaty.
As US President Donald
Trump said dismissively
in a recent interview, “if
it expires, it
expires”.
The importance of the
New START treaty is hard
to overstate. As other
nuclear treaties have
been abrogated in recent
years, this was the only
deal left with
notification,
inspection, verification
and treaty compliance
mechanisms between
Russia and the US.
Between them, they
possess 87% of the
world’s nuclear weapons.
The demise of the treaty
will bring a definitive
and alarming end to
nuclear restraint
between the two powers.
It may very well
accelerate the global
nuclear arms race.
This was one of the key
reasons that on January
27, 2026, the Bulletin
of Atomic Scientists
reset the Doomsday Clock
to 85
Seconds to Midnight.
Last year, PNND
Co-President Senator
Markey introduced draft
legislation into
the US Senate urging
the government to negotiate
new post-START
agreements with Russia
and China. The
legislation is supported
by a number of other
Senators and by a companion
bill in the House
of Representatives. But
this seems to have
fallen on deaf ears in
the Trump
Administration.
Meanwhile, last year Youth
Fusion, a global
youth network established
by Abolition 2000, revived
and relaunched Youth
Hotline Campaign –
Negotiating Nuclear Risk,
an inter-active process
for university students
and young professionals to
explore dynamics of
nuclear negotiations in
the new political
environment. |
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Join
the Youth Hotline
Campaign webinar:
Negotiating Nuclear Risk
Saturday February
7, 2026
10am - 11:20am Eastern
Time / 4pm to 5:20 pm
CET
Registration
link
In an era of increased
tensions and divisions, Youth
Fusion has created
an innovative space for
youth to learn and engage
in nuclear diplomacy
across political divides.
Inspired by the historic
1963 US-Soviet hotline,
this project has offered a
unique learning-by-doing
experience designed to
promote practical
engagement rather than
passive learning.
Over the past three
months, participants have
been immersed in nuclear
risk reduction and
non-proliferation, as well
as the intricacies of
diplomacy and negotiation.
They learned from informal
training sessions and
directly from experts in
the field, and put these
lessons into practice
through a simulation game
inspired by a real-world
hypothetical nuclear
crisis scenario.
Now, Youth Fusion
participants are ready to
share their insights. Join
the event to hear
their reflections on
nuclear risk, their
strategies for overcoming
negotiation impasses, and
their takeaways for an
alternative narrative in
nuclear affairs.
For more information see: Youth
Hotline Campaign –
Negotiating Nuclear Risk
Feb 7 event page. |
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Parliamentarians
for Nuclear
Non-Proliferation and
Disarmament (PNND)
is a global network of
legislators working on a
range of initiatives to
prevent nuclear
proliferation and to
achieve a nuclear
weapons free world.
www.pnnd.org
www.facebook.com/pnndglobal
in...@pnnd.org
You are receiving this
email as a member of
Parliamentarians for
Nuclear
Non-Proliferation and
Disarmament (PNND).
PNND
Hosted By Basel Peace Office, Universitaet Basel
Petersgraben 27
Basel
4051
Switzerland
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PNND Head office
PragueVision Institute
Lipsanka 4, 130 00 Prague
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 773 638 867
Prague Europe
Office
Basel Peace Office
c/o Seminar für Soziologie
Petersgraben 27
CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
Phone: +41 788 912-156
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