Russia ready to respond to any "strategic threats" with military force – Putin
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin says Moscow is supposedly ready to respond to "any strategic threats" from the West, not with words but with "military-technical measures."
He made the remarks at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Russian media report, Censor.NET says.
Putin also claimed that the West’s destructive actions have "severely undermined the foundations for dialogue between nuclear states."
"Russia is confident in the reliability of its national deterrent forces. Plans to strengthen Russia’s defence capability are being built taking the global situation into account," the Kremlin chief said.
He added that Russia is allegedly not interested in further fuelling an arms race.
"Expiration of the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms between Russia and the United States in February 2026 means the disappearance of the last agreement imposing direct limits on missile potential. In this context, Russia is ready, after the treaty’s expiry, to continue observing the treaty’s limits for a year... The Russian Federation wants to try to preserve the status quo established by START," the Russian leader said.
Putin said the US–Russia system of agreements on control of strategic offensive nuclear and defensive arms has been almost entirely dismantled.
He ordered authorities to "closely monitor" the build-up of US missile defence components, including preparations to deploy interceptor systems in space.
