The “New Start” treaty was in the news. What is this treaty ?

The "New START" (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation [4]. Signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, it entered into force on February 5, 2011 [4]. The treaty serves as a successor to the original 1991 START I and the 2002 Moscow Treaty (SORT) [1]. It establishes aggregate limits on strategic offensive arms, specifically restricting the number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments [2]. The agreement includes a robust verification regime involving on-site inspections, data exchanges, and notifications to ensure transparency and strategic stability between the world's two largest nuclear powers [2]. It was originally set for a ten-year duration with an option for a five-year extension [2].

Sources

1. [4] https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/02/02/new-start-treaty-signed
2. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_START
3. [2] https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R41219/R41219.61.pdf