PUTIN has made a chilling weapons development announcement as Moscow suggested it would not hesitate to carry out a nuclear test if other countries decided to do so.
The Russian tyrant announced the development of the “new kind of weapon” on Friday.
Putin fronted the media in Tajikistan on FridayAP
He said Russia had been developing new strategic weapons and would carry out nuclear testing if other countries did soAlamy
Fronting the media at a summit in Tajikistan, he said an arms race was already in progress and that it “would be a shame if nothing remained of the arms control framework” between the Washington DC and Moscow.
The Russian despot said that his country was willing to voluntarily extend the warhead limits defined in the New START treaty if the US was willing to do the same.
The agreement expires in February, and Trump has yet to formally agree to the proposal.
“Will these few months be enough to make a decision on an extension? I think it will be enough if there is goodwill to extend these agreements,” Putin said.
“If the Americans decide they don’t need it, that’s not a big deal for us.”
He said Russia had continued to develop and test new-generation nuclear weapons.
During his announcement, the Russian president made a menacing observation regarding the impending expiration of the New START agreement.
“We’re ready to negotiate if it’s acceptable and useful for the Americans,” he said.
“If not, then no, but that would be a shame, because then there would be nothing left in terms of deterrence in the area of strategic offensive weapons.”
For the second time this week, Putin referred to the possibility of other countries carrying out a nuclear test.
He did not, however, name which nations.
Putin said there had always been a temptation to “test the effectiveness of fuel” that had been sitting stagnant in weapons for “many years”.
He went on to say that while some experts believe computer simulated testing “was sufficient”, others argued “repeat tests [were] necessary”.
“Some countries are thinking about it, as far as I know,” he said on Friday.
“They’re even preparing… That’s why I said that if they do it, we’ll do the same.”
North Korea has been the only country to carry out a nuclear test this century.
America and Russia currently have the largest nuclear weapons arsenal on Earth.
What is the New START treaty?
By Patrick Harrington
NEW START, or the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, is an agreement between Russia and the US over their nuclear weapons arsenals.
Under the terms of the deal, first cooked up at the end of the Cold War, both countries have agreed to cap the number of strategic nuclear warheads they can deploy.
It also limits the number of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that can deliver them.
The formal name of the treaty is Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.
New START is an extension of previous treaties called Start I, signed in 1991, and START II, signed in 1993.
The current agreement is due to expire in February 2026 but, due to disagreements over the war in Ukraine, Moscow and Washington have not yet begun negotiations to extend it.
Putin said if the agreement expires, Russia would certainly carry out a test of its own.
According to security experts, a test by one country would have a ripple-effect, encouraging other nuclear powers to follow suit, sparking fears that geopolitical tensions would rise.
“[Weapons testing] would be good from a security perspective, but bad from the point of view of curbing the arms race,” he added.
“In the same context, extending the New START Treaty for at least a year is a good idea.”
His announcement comes after Donald Trump hinted that he he would supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles earlier in the week.
These weapons, which proved effective against Iran’s nuclear targets, would bring the capital city comfortably within Ukraine’s blast range.
Currently, Ukraine has been using Storm Shadow and Atacms missiles from the UK and US – but these fall short of Moscow.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to blast Ukraine with an onslaught on major energy plants.
Overnight, blistering missile and drone attacks took out most of Kyiv’s electricity and disrupted water supplies, as critical infrastructure was hit across the country.
The continuation of the strikes comes after Russia hammered the port of Chornomorsk in Odesa, targeting an alleged shipment of Western ammo.
Russian strikes reportedly targeted at least three hyrdroelectric power plants and multiple thermal generating stations in a blatant assault against civilians.
The offensive comes before temperatures begin to plummet as winter grows closer.
GettyIf America rejects proposal to extend nuclear limitations agreement, it’s “no big deal” to Russia[/caption]
Putin says other countries have considered testing their own nuclear weaponsAlamy
Putin said arms race has already begunAlamy Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
