Putin: Russia Is Ready To Respond To Any Threats With Force, But Urges The West Not To Fuel The Arms Race

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On September 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin held an operational meeting with permanent members of the Security Council at the Kremlin. The discussion focused on the situation in the sphere of strategic stability, which, according to the head of state, continues to deteriorate due to destructive actions by the West that have undermined the foundation for constructive dialogue among nuclear powers.

It was noted that the last remaining agreement in this area is the New START Treaty (SNV-III), which expires on February 5, 2026. In this regard, Russia expressed its readiness to voluntarily adhere to the treaty’s key quantitative limits for one year beyond that date, provided the United States takes similar actions. The president also instructed relevant agencies to closely monitor U.S. plans to enhance its missile defense components, including the potential deployment of assets in space, which could negate efforts to maintain stability.

Vladimir Putin’s full speech:

Good afternoon, distinguished colleagues!

We have several issues today, including migration policy. But I would like to start today with another issue – an issue that is of exceptional importance and fundamental significance for the protection of our national interests, Russia’s sovereignty, and for ensuring international security in general, without any exaggeration. I am referring to the situation in the sphere of strategic stability, which, unfortunately, continues to deteriorate due to the cumulative impact of a number of factors of a negative nature that provoke the aggravation of existing risks and the emergence of new risks of a strategic nature.

As a result of the rather destructive steps previously taken by Western countries, the foundations of constructive relations and practical cooperation among nuclear-weapon States have been significantly undermined. The foundations for dialog in the relevant bilateral and multilateral formats have been shaken. Step by step, the system of Soviet-American and Russian-American agreements on nuclear missile and strategic defensive arms control – a system that had worked both to stabilize the situation between the States possessing the two largest nuclear arsenals and to strengthen global security as a whole – was almost completely dismantled.

I repeat: we have spoken many times about the causes and possible consequences of this state of affairs. We attribute the multiple problems that have accumulated in the strategic sphere since the beginning of the twenty-first century to the destructive actions of the West and their destabilizing doctrinal concepts and military-technical programmes aimed at undermining global parity and at gaining, or attempting to gain, absolute, overwhelming superiority.

We have consistently and in detail dwelt on these issues, criticized this position, not only emphasized the extreme danger of further degradation of the situation, but also repeatedly put forward specific ideas for its joint correction. However, our warnings and initiatives did not receive a clear response.

I emphasize, and there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind: Russia is capable of responding to any existing and emerging threats, responding not in words but through the use of military and technical measures. An example of this is our decision to abandon the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based medium-range and shorter-range missiles. This was a forced step dictated by the need to respond adequately to programs to deploy similar weapons of American and other Western manufacture in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, which directly threaten Russia’s security.

Our plans to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities are built with due regard for the changing situation in the world and are being implemented in full and in a timely manner. We are confident in the reliability and effectiveness of our national deterrent forces, but at the same time we are not interested in further escalation of tensions and spurring an arms race. Russia has always proceeded and continues to proceed from the preference and priority of political and diplomatic methods of maintaining international peace on the basis of the principles of equal rights, indivisibility of security and consideration of interests.

Let me remind you that the last significant political and diplomatic achievement in the sphere of strategic stability was the conclusion of the Russian-American treaty on strategic offensive arms in 2010. However, due to the extremely hostile policy of the Biden Administration, which violated the basic guidelines on which this treaty was based, its full-scale implementation was subsequently suspended in 2023.

Nevertheless, both sides have declared their intention to voluntarily continue to comply with the central quantitative limitations of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty until the end of its life cycle.

Thus, for almost 15 years now, this agreement has continued to play a significant positive role in maintaining the balance of power and certainty in the field of strategic offensive arms.

The START Treaty expires on February 5, 2026, which means that the last international agreement on direct limitations on nuclear missile capabilities will soon disappear. A complete rejection of the legacy of this agreement would be an erroneous and short-sighted step from many points of view, which, in our view, would also have a negative impact on ensuring the goals of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

In order not to provoke a further strategic arms race and to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint, we believe it is justified to try to maintain the status quo established by the START Treaty at the current rather turbulent stage. Russia is therefore prepared to continue to adhere to the central quantitative limitations under the START Treaty for one year after February 5, 2026.

In the future, on the basis of an analysis of the situation, we will take a definite decision on the subsequent maintenance of these voluntary self-restrictions. We believe that this measure will become viable only on the condition that the United States acts in the same way and does not take steps that undermine or disrupt the existing balance of deterrent capabilities.

In this connection, I request the relevant departments to continue to closely monitor the relevant activities of the United States side, primarily with regard to the START arsenal. Particular attention should also be paid to plans to build up the strategic components of the United States missile defence system, including preparations for the deployment of interceptors in space. We will proceed from the assumption that the practical implementation of such destabilizing actions could nullify our side’s efforts to maintain the status quo in the START area. We will respond accordingly.

I believe that the implementation of the Russian initiative could make a significant contribution to the creation of an atmosphere conducive to substantive strategic dialogue with the United States of America – naturally, if the conditions for its full-scale resumption are formatted and taking into account the entire range of efforts to normalize bilateral relations and eliminate fundamental contradictions in the area of security.

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