May 10, 2006 :: Washington Times :: News
In an hour-long speech today, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the U.S.-Russian arms race is not over and called for a strengthening of his nation’s nuclear and conventional forces. His remarks followed sharp criticism from the U.S., in particular Vice President Dick Cheney, who accused Moscow of stifling democracy and using its vast energy resources as a tool for “intimidation and blackmail” against its neighbors. In response, Putin accused Washington of exerting unwarranted pressure on Moscow, and stated that Russia needs to catch up with the U.S. in order to resist foreign demands: “We must always be ready to counter any attempts to pressure Russia in order to strengthen positions at our expense. The stronger our military is, the less temptation there will be to exert such pressure on us.” Putin noted that Russia would soon deploy mobile Topol-M (SS-27) intercontinental ballistic missiles and Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missiles, thus strengthening its nuclear deterrent. He added that Moscow would not repeat “the mistakes of the Soviet Union and of the Cold War” by draining the country’s resources, a reference to the Kremlin’s inability to keep up with U.S. arms spending during the Reagan administration.
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