Putin talks about nuclear war

Russian president Vladimir Putin has commented on the prospects of fighting a nuclear war after his US counterpart Joe Biden called on Russia to negotiate a new arms-control deal to potentially replace the landmark New Start treaty. Putin made the remarks on Monday in his letter to participants of the tenth NPT review conference.

“Russia consistently follows the letter and spirit of the Treaty. Our obligations under bilateral agreements with the United States on the reduction and limitation of relevant weapons have also been fully fulfilled,” Putin said, adding that Moscow believes “that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it must never be unleashed.”

The president said Russia believes all the countries following the NPT rules should have acess to peaceful use of nuclear energy without any conditions. “We’re ready to share our experience in the field of atomic energy with our partners,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Putin’s US counterpart Joe Biden produced his statement ahead of the review conference, calling on Russia to engage in talks to produce a new arms-control agreement to replace the New START treaty, set to expire in 2026. At the same time, he accused Moscow of “shattering peace in Europe” with its ongoing military operation in Ukraine. 

“Negotiation requires a willing partner operating in good faith,” Biden said. “In this context, Russia should demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control with the United States.”

The landmark New START remains the only major arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington left standing. The deal was on the brink of collapse in early 2021, when it was set to expire. It was ultimately salvaged shortly after Biden’s inauguration, when Washington finally agreed to Moscow’s repeated calls to prolong the deal without any preconditions.