The treaty, formally known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), had long limited the number of deployed strategic warheads and delivery systems held by the US and Russia, the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. Its expiration on Thursday marks the first time since the 1970s that the two countries are no longer bound by bilateral limits on strategic offensive weapons.

Any miscalculation or escalation involving nuclear weapons, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry warned, would “threaten the survival and future of humanity” and could produce “catastrophic humanitarian consequences.” The ministry called on both nations to maintain dialogue and negotiate renewed limitations to prevent dangerous misunderstandings.

“Indonesia urges the United States and the Russian Federation to continue negotiations on renewed limitations and reductions of strategic offensive arms, and to maintain essential channels of communication to prevent miscalculation and escalation,” the ministry said in a statement.

“[The treaty’s expiration] adds further uncertainty to the global security environment and heightens the risk of a renewed arms race and nuclear weapons use, underscoring the urgent need for tangible progress in nuclear disarmament,” it added.

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First signed in 2010, the treaty capped arsenals at 1,550 deployed warheads, roughly two-thirds below Cold War levels, across 700 delivery systems, and limited the number of strategic launchers each side could maintain. 

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