Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said that the current situation in the nuclear sphere cannot be compared to the arms race of the Cold War era. At the same time, in his assessment, the total number of nuclear warheads in the world is beginning to gradually increase again.

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, Grossi noted that today there is no full-scale nuclear arms race similar to the situation of the early 1980s. However, he acknowledged that nuclear arsenals around the world are expanding.

According to the head of the IAEA, amid current international tensions, some states are beginning to consider revising their previous refusal to possess nuclear weapons. Under these circumstances, Grossi stressed, strengthening the non-proliferation regime is becoming even more important than before.

At the same time, he admitted that the prospect of nuclear disarmament now appears increasingly distant.

Earlier, the United States rejected Russia’s proposal to extend the New START Treaty, which was due to expire on February 5, 2026. The treaty remained the last international legal restriction on the deployment of nuclear weapons between Moscow and Washington.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, previously told TASS that Washington is trying to secure more favorable terms for itself in discussions on future nuclear agreements. According to him, the United States also seeks to involve China in new nuclear arms arrangements. The Russian diplomat added that Washington’s chances of success on this issue are slim.