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The unraveling of New START reflects the erosion of U.S.–Russia strategic dialogue amid war, sanctions, and mutual distrust, leaving the world without binding limits on the two largest nuclear arsenals. Russia’s suspension of inspections and the United States’ limited progress toward a successor framework have weakened verification and transparency. As modernization accelerates, worst-case assumptions are embedding on both sides. Without renewed restraint and engagement, this path risks entrenching a more unstable and dangerous nuclear order.