The president stressed that Moscow must nevertheless keep its nuclear forces at the ready in light growing geopolitical tensions
Russia’s latest round of nuclear drills is necessary to maintain nuclear parity and the balance of power in the world, but is not an indication that Moscow wants a new arms race, President Vladimir Putin has said.
On Tuesday, the Russian leader announced a strategic nuclear deterrence exercise that involved ballistic and cruise missile launches. Putin said that the drills were needed to maintain the country’s nuclear forces at the “necessarily sufficient level.”
However, he emphasized that “we are not going to get involved in a new arms race” and that Moscow maintains its “principled position” that the use of nuclear weapons remains a “last resort” for ensuring Russia’s security.
He said that Russia’s nuclear triad was the greatest guarantor of the country’s sovereignty and security amid “growing geopolitical tensions and the emergence of new external threats and risks.”
“It is important to have modern strategic forces that are constantly ready for combat use. We will continue to improve all their components,” Putin said.
The president stated that about 94% of Russia’s nuclear forces have already been outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment while its troops are also set to receive new stationary and mobile missile systems with higher precision and shorter launch preparation times compared to older generations.
“All this is necessary for the effective protection of Russia and our citizens,” Putin said.
Previously, the Russian president also proposed making changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine to allow it to deploy nuclear weapons if Kiev were to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia.
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