Tallinn, Estonia –
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a broadcast interview on Sunday that Russia had no choice but to take NATO’s nuclear capabilities into account, justifying Russia’s recent suspension of its participation in the New START Treaty.
Putin argued that Russia faced an existential crisis, as he had done many times during the Ukraine war. In his view, NATO members want a “strategic defeat” for Russia. He said on Russian state television that the suspension of New START stemmed from Russia’s need to “ensure its security and strategic stability.”
“When all the major NATO countries declare their main goal is to inflict strategic defeat on us (…), how can they ignore their nuclear capabilities in these circumstances?” Putin said. Said.
Putin’s overriding goal in invading Ukraine a year ago was to reduce what he perceives as a threat to Russia’s security, sometimes using it as justification for the threat of using nuclear weapons in conflict. have been using
Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow would suspend its participation in the 2010 New START Treaty, while Washington and its NATO allies called for Russia’s defeat in Ukraine, while Russia would allow US inspections of nuclear facilities under the deal. Russia’s president stressed that Moscow would not completely withdraw from the agreement, and the Russian foreign ministry said the country would respect the treaty’s cap on nuclear weapons and not allow test-launching of ballistic missiles. He said he would keep the US informed.
Putin said in an interview with Russia 1 broadcast on Sunday, two days after the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that NATO members are not parties to the treaty, but they do. said to be part. Russia is not against “discussions on this issue,” especially since it cannot ignore her NATO nuclear capabilities.
Putin claims the West wants to get rid of Russia, an idea he has repeatedly used to justify Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. “They have one goal: to dismantle the former Soviet Union and its fundamental part, the Russian Federation,” Mr Putin said.
He argued that if the West succeeded in destroying Russia and establishing control, the Russian people might not survive as a united state. “There will be Muscovites, Urals and others,” he said of the possible division of Russia. Western countries could only partially accept Russia into the so-called “family of civilized people”, unable to divide the country into pieces.
US President Joe Biden refuted Putin’s allegations in a speech in Poland on Tuesday.
“The United States and European countries are not trying to dominate or destroy Russia. As Putin said today, the West did not plan to attack Russia. Millions of Russian citizens who just want to live in peace are the enemy,” he said in a speech in Warsaw, Poland.
