Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Statement on the End of New START Treaty 

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The expiration of the New START Treaty on February 5, 2026, marks the end of an era of nuclear arms control between the two largest nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, leaving the world a more dangerous place. The following is a statement by Dan Moriarty, Senior Policy Officer for Peace and Nonviolence, on the significance of this moment. 

“Tonight at midnight, New START, the last remaining treaty capping the number of nuclear warheads in the U.S. and Russian arsenals, will expire, potentially unleashing a new arms race. As people of faith, we cannot remain silent. We can afford neither the monetary cost nor the existential risk such an arms race would pose. Catholic teaching holds that spending on such weapons constitutes a theft from the poor, and that the development and possession of nuclear weapons is morally unacceptable. They threaten human life and all of God’s creation. On behalf of every community where Maryknoll missioners have lived and worked around the world and our common home, and echoing the call of Pope Leo XVI and the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, we urge President Trump to maintain New START nuclear stockpile levels, pursue diplomatic negotiations for a follow-on treaty, and commit to concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament. We pray that the Prince of Peace guides us toward integral disarmament, to step back from the brink and free our world of nuclear weapons once and for all.” 

We invite all people of faith and good will to ask President Donald Trump and Congress to stop a new nuclear arms race and work to rid the world of nuclear weapons before it is too late. Use the action alert tool here.  

Photo: U.S. & Russian delegations meet for New START treaty, available in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.