In his much anticipated state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is at war with the West and Zelenskyy’s “puppet government.” Putin also announced that he is suspending the New START treaty with the United States which reduces and limits each country’s nuclear arsenal. “In this regard, I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty,” Putin said in his annual address to the nation. He went on to list his grievances for the West’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict and blamed them for the war.
Putin stated that Russia is fighting for its survival from immoral western culture. “See what they do with their own peoples—the destruction of the family, cultural and national identity, perversion, mockery of children, and pedophilia are declared the norm. The norm of their life,” he professed.
“We are not waging war with the Ukrainian people. They are in a hostage situation, politically and militarily, occupied by the West,” he continued.
According to Fox:
The New START treaty, first signed in April 2010, limits the U.S. and Russia from having more than 1,550 nuclear warheads deployed on delivery systems like intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missile or heavy bombers.
Both the U.S. and Russia are capable of deploying far more than the allotted nuclear warheads as Washington and Moscow have a combined total of more than 13,000 warheads – making up roughly 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal, according to data provided by the Arms Control Association.
Following the nuclear arms race that largely came to an end with the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.N. has pushed for nuclear disarmament and global warheads inventories have dropped since hitting their peak in 1985, when more than 70,000 warheads were estimated to make up global stockpiles.
Ukrainian officials and military experts expect Russia to ramp up its offensive in the coming months as they throw more troops into the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
