Putin says Russia may build stockpile if New START treaty founders
The Russian prime minister, on CNN, says the deal is in the U.S. interest. But if Congress fails to ratify the treaty, Moscow may build up its nuclear stockpile instead of reducing it.
Reporting from Moscow — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, his confident bluntness on full display, has declared Russia might build up its nuclear weapons instead of reducing them if the New START treaty arranged with the Obama administration is not ratified by Congress.
If the treaty is held up by U.S. legislators showing "a very dumb nature" then Russia will "have to react somehow," Putin said in an interview with CNN's Larry King scheduled for broadcast Wednesday.
Putin said the treaty, which calls for reducing the maximum nuclear warheads in each country from 2,200 to 1,550, is in the best interest of the United States.
He emphasized the importance of both the treaty and Russia's bid to become an equal partner in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's plan to build a European missile defense system.
"If our proposals are met with only negative response and additional ABM [anti-ballistic missile] threats emerge along our borders Russia will be simply obligated to ensure its security with different means, including the deployment of new [strategic] complexes, new nuclear missiles," Putin said. "That's not our choice. We don't want that to happen. But this is not a threat on our part. We simply want to say that this is all we expect if we don't come to an agreement."
President Obama has described the completion of the treaty, which he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed in April, as imperative to national security. Obama and former Secretary of State Colin Powell held a news conference Wednesday encouraging the Senate to ratify the accord.
Senate Republicans led by Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona have been reluctant to vote on the treaty as Congress approaches the end of the year, saying there are many unresolved issues. The Republicans have raised concerns about the modernization and safeguarding of the country's nuclear arsenal and said the treaty would limit U.S. missile defense options.
Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama administration officials this week responded to several concerns, raising the possibility that the treaty might be approved by year's end, the Associated Press reported.
Putin, who preceded Medvedev as president, said in the CNN interview that without the treaty Russia would have to arm itself against "new threats" posed by U.S. plans for the missile defense system in Europe.
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