Putin: With the most advanced weapons, Russia is 'not happy at all' if NATO comes close

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: TASS

Answering the question of whether there will be a new arms race, the beginning of a second cold war, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that in the future a second cold war will not happen, and in the worst case if it does happen, Russia will be less affected, because it possesses a sophisticated weapon system.

"In any case, the cold war or the arms race will not affect Russia, because as I mentioned, Russia possesses the most advanced weapons, exclusive in the world. We follow our own path" - Russian President Putin answered the interview on RT Arabic, Al Arabiya and Sky News Arabia TV channels.

The Russian leader particularly emphasized the difference in defense spending in some countries, in which Russia ranks 7th in the world in terms of defense and security budget, behind the US, China, Saudi Arabia, UK, France, and Japan.

"And we possess weapons that no other country in the world has. This is the result of concentrating investment resources in the most important areas," said President Putin.

The Russian leader once again stressed that: "An arms race - it is the worst thing for the world", and Russia will not participate in things that harm itself.

Responding to a question about NATO's military buildup on the border with Russia, President Putin said that this was an attempt to level Russia's strategic nuclear potential, but these efforts have failed.

The Russian President analyzed that for Russia, possessing a state-of-the-art arsenal would make NATO systems installed on its borders no longer a particular threat. "But confrontation is not good. This makes the situation worse. NATO is a powerful military bloc, and the military force approaching Russia's borders does not bring us any joy," President Putin said.