Russia, China Rebuke US Golden Dome Plan as New START Expires Without Replacement
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 20
Russia, China Rebuke US Golden Dome Plan as New START Expires Without Replacement
9 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 20
Russia and China said in a joint statement on May 20 that President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile-defense plan threatens strategic stability, sharpening their coordinated criticism during Xi Jinping's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
The two powers said the shield's global, multi-layer design—including space-based systems to detect, track and potentially strike missiles—breaks the principle that offensive and defensive strategic weapons must remain linked.
They also blamed Washington for letting the 2010 New START nuclear arms treaty expire earlier this year without a replacement, and Moscow backed Beijing's refusal to join any future U.S.-Russian arms-control talks.
The statement further warned against forward deployment of intermediate-range missiles and against preemptive or preventive strikes aimed at decapitating an adversary, calling both highly destabilizing.
Russia underscored that message by releasing footage it said showed nuclear warheads being delivered to Iskander-M launchers during a major exercise across Russia and Belarus.
With arms control treaties gone, is a new arms race in space between the US, Russia, and China now inevitable?
Is the true global contest an AI race for intelligent drones, not a missile defense shield in space?
Is the trillion-dollar 'Golden Dome' a revolutionary shield or an expensive repeat of past 'Star Wars' failures?
From New START’s Expiration to the Golden Dome: Trillion-Dollar Defense, Renewed Arms Race, and the Future of Nuclear Stability
Overview
The expiration of the New START treaty in February 2026, following the U.S. decision not to accept Russia's offer of a one-year extension, removed the last legal limits and verification mechanisms on U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. This ended crucial transparency measures like on-site inspections and data exchanges, leading to a breakdown in communication and eroding trust between the two countries. As trust declines, the risk of miscalculation rises, marking a profound shift in global nuclear stability and increasing the danger of a renewed arms race in an already tense international environment.