Russia to boost nuclear arsenal. Modernization or arms race?
President Putin announced Tuesday that Russia would add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, prompting US Secretary of State Kerry to raise questions about the Kremlin's intentions.
President Putin announced Tuesday that Russia would add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, prompting US Secretary of State Kerry to raise questions about the Kremlin's intentions.
Russian officials have described Moscow's plan to add more than 40 new聽intercontinental ballistic missiles to the country's nuclear arsenal this year as a move to modernize its military, not an attempt to rekindle an聽arms race with the West.
On Wednesday, Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladmir Putin鈥檚 main foreign policy adviser,聽said聽that any arms race would hurt the struggling Russian economy, Reuters reports.聽
But many Western observers remain skeptical of the Kremlin's intentions.聽Russia-West relations have plunged to their lowest point since the cold war over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in early 2014 and support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.聽
鈥淣obody wants to see us step backwards,鈥� US Secretary of State John Kerry聽said聽Tuesday. 鈥淣obody should hear that kind of announcement from the leader of a powerful country and not be concerned about what the implications are.鈥�
Putin announced the additional聽missiles 鈥撀爓hich are聽capable of piercing any missile defenses聽鈥撀燼t the聽opening Tuesday of an arms show near Moscow.聽His announcement came days after reports emerged about a US plan to store heavy military equipment in neighboring eastern European nations, a move that Russia warned could start a series of tit-for-tat actions. As The聽Associated聽Press reports:
Putin said that more robust military spending will ensure that a majority of Russian weaponry will be top quality by 2020, calling it a 鈥渓arge-scale armament and defense industry modernization program.鈥� But with the economy sliding toward recession amid low oil prices and sanctions, many wonder how Russia will actually be able to afford the military equipment. The New York Times writes:
For comparison, the US spent $581 billion on defense in 2014, accounting for more than one-third of military spending worldwide.
On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Putin's announcement was 鈥渃onfirming the pattern and behavior of Russia over a period of time 鈥� we have seen Russia is investing more in defense in general and in its nuclear capability in particular.鈥�
鈥淭his nuclear saber-rattling of Russia is unjustified, it's destabilizing, and it's dangerous," Mr.聽Stoltenberg added.