Worldwide powers seek to grow nuclear weapons
(MENAFN) The world is facing the rising threat of a renewed and perilous nuclear arms race as major nuclear powers continue to upgrade and expand their arsenals, according to the latest annual assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The report, released Monday, warns that the momentum behind nuclear disarmament is fading. Instead, nuclear-armed nations are moving forward with what the institute calls “intensive” efforts to modernize their weapon stockpiles.
SIPRI emphasized that Russia and the United States—who collectively hold around 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads—are approaching a critical moment. Their last standing arms control pact, the New START treaty, is scheduled to expire in February 2026. This agreement currently limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads each side can maintain.
Russia pulled back from the treaty in 2023, arguing that its verification mechanisms were unworkable due to Western involvement in the Ukraine war. Nevertheless, Moscow signaled its willingness to resume discussions if the nuclear capabilities of NATO allies are included in future frameworks.
In contrast, Washington has pushed for China to be part of any new arms control negotiations. SIPRI notes that China now has the most rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal in the world and may match either the US or Russia in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) numbers by the decade’s end.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and France are continuing with their own modernization programs. Both are investing in new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, with France also working on a new generation of missile warheads.
“The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,” said Hans M. Kristensen, Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Program. “We see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric, and the abandonment of arms control agreements.”
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