President Putin says Russia is ready to comply with START restrictions
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is ready to comply with the restrictions under the START Treaty if the US takes similar action.
According to RIA Novosti, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in the field of strategic stability with members of the National Security Council.
At a meeting on September 22, the head of state announced that Russia is ready to comply with the restrictions under the START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty).
Mr. Putin stressed that this would only be effective if the United States did the same. In this case, the provisions of the treaty could be implemented within a year after its expiration on February 5, 2026. At the same time, the decision to continue voluntary self-limitation will be made based on an analysis of the situation.
"I believe that the implementation of Russia's initiative can make a significant contribution to creating a favorable atmosphere for a substantive strategic dialogue with the United States," President Putin said.
The Russian leader drew the attention of the members of the National Security Council to the fact that today the system of Russian-American relations in the sphere of arms control has been completely destroyed, and strategic stability in the world continues to deteriorate. This is due to the destructive steps of the West: nuclear powers undermine the basis for dialogue by trying to gain superiority.
Russia has repeatedly stressed the dangers of dismantling the arms control system, but its ideas in the field of strategic security have not received a clear response.
Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin noted that Russia is developing plans to strengthen its defense capabilities, taking into account the situation in the world, and they are being implemented in full and on time. At the same time, Moscow is not interested in provoking an arms race and always prefers to resolve issues diplomatically.
"I emphasize, no one should doubt this, that Russia can cope with any existing and emerging threats" - President Putin affirmed.
The Russian leader called the decision to abandon restrictions on the implementation of the Russia-China-India (RIC) trilateral dialogue mechanism a forced one. It was dictated by the need to respond to weapons deployment programs in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Putin instructed the relevant departments to pay special attention to monitoring plans for the construction of strategic components of the US missile defense system, including preparations for their deployment in space. At the same time, the latter could nullify efforts to maintain the status quo that has developed thanks to START, and Russia wants to try to maintain it.
In response to President Putin's proposal on START, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said: "President Donald Trump is aware of this proposal, and he will comment on it himself later. The president wants to talk personally, on this topic."