Putin: We shall guarantee our security without being engaged in arms race

Russia will guarantee its security without getting engaged in an arms race, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during a big press conference in Moscow on Dec 14.

“We did not quit basic treaties that are cornerstones of the global security, we did not exit from the ABM Treaty. The USA did it unilaterally. Now, we see there are problems with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. There is an information campaign to support US exit from the treaty, moreover, in reality, they have done it. They are trying to blame us, but what did they do? They supplied anti-missile, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System to Romania. These systems can be easily replaced by short-range missiles. If everything goes this way, nothing good will come out of it. But we are not going to exit anything on our own will,” Putin announced.

As for the new START Treaty, the Russian leader said that it is unprofitable for the United States. But if the US quits it in a unilateral way, it will harm the global stability and security, he added.

“We will guarantee our security without getting engaged in an arms race. Our military budget is balanced by several elements. We need to guarantee security without ruining our economy,” the Russian president noted.

He drew attention to the fact that in the USA the military expenditures are to be $700 bn, while in Russia the sum is above $46 bn. “It is enough for us. One can say this is too much, but there is a well-known joke: ‘The one who does not want to feed his army will be feeding the army of his enemy’,” Putin concluded.