Nuclear pact ends: Russia vows responsibility

MOSCOW:

Russia vowed Wednesday to act "responsibly" hours before its last nuclear treaty with the United States was set to expire, as fears mounted that the agreement's collapse could spur a new arms race.

The New START agreement, which limits the number of nuclear warheads each side can deploy, will end Thursday, formally releasing both Moscow and Washington from a raft of restrictions on their nuclear arsenals.

In a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would "act in a measured manner and responsibly" should the treaty expire, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

Putin offered in September to keep abiding by the warhead limits in the treaty for a year, but received no formal response from Washington, Ushakov said.