Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to unleash nuclear weapons in his latest speech. In his speech, he suspended Russia’s participation in the only nuclear arms control agreement with the United States. Putin said that he had signed a decree to “put new ground-based strategic systems” on the ground.
Putin Pulls Out From Treaty
A day ago, Putin announced that he is suspending Russia’s participation in the START nuclear arms reduction deal. The decision prompted fear that Russia may be up to something dangerous in Ukraine. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, called Putin’s decision “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible”. The “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty” empowers both countries to physically examine each other’s nuclear warheads and aims to reduce them.
START’s Suspension Is Reversible
After Putin’s speech on Tuesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry contradicted Putin’s statement by saying that the decision to suspend participation in the nuclear arms treaty is reversible. Apart from this move, Putin’s threatening nuclear escalation couldn’t be taken as a joke as he had threatened to use nuclear weapons in the past too.
