Putin Addresses Strategic Stability and Arms Control at Security Council

Deterioration of Strategic Stability

• 💡 Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the degradation of strategic stability, attributing it to negative factors and the cumulative impact of Western actions.
• ⚠️ He stated that Western actions have significantly undermined constructive relations and practical cooperation between nuclear-armed states, dismantling Soviet/Russian-American arms control agreements.
• 🎯 Russia links the numerous problems in the strategic sphere since the early 21st century to Western destabilizing doctrines and military-technical programs aimed at disrupting global parity.

Russia's Response and Stance

• 🚀 Putin affirmed Russia's capability to respond to any threats with military-technical measures, citing the abandonment of the unilateral moratorium on intermediate-range missiles as a forced response.
• ✅ Despite confidence in its national deterrence forces, Russia expressed no interest in further escalating tensions or fueling an arms race.
• 💬 Russia consistently prioritizes political-diplomatic methods for maintaining international peace, based on principles of equality, indivisible security, and mutual consideration of interests.

The New START Treaty

• 📜 The New START Treaty (2010) was recognized as the last significant political-diplomatic achievement in strategic stability, though its full implementation was suspended in 2023 due to the Biden administration's policy.
• 🗓️ The treaty is set to expire on February 5, 2026, which would mean the disappearance of the last international agreement directly limiting missile-nuclear potentials.
• 💡 Russia believes that a complete abandonment of this agreement's legacy would be a mistake and negatively impact the goals of nuclear non-proliferation.

Russia's Proposal for New START

• 🤝 To prevent a further strategic arms race and ensure predictability, Russia is prepared to voluntarily continue adhering to the central quantitative limits of New START for one year after its expiration.
• ⚖️ This measure is deemed viable only if the United States acts similarly and refrains from steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence potentials.
• 🔍 Russia will closely monitor US activities, particularly regarding its New START arsenal and plans for strategic missile defense, including the deployment of interceptors in space, and will react accordingly to destabilizing actions.