New York, Feb. 5 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement ahead of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) expiring.

He called on Russia and the United States to return to the negotiating table and agree on a successor framework that restores verifiable limits, reduces risks, and strengthens collective security.

In an official statement on Thursday, Guterres said, "The expiration of the New START Treaty, as of midnight today, marks a grave moment for international peace and security. For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States o...