Putin Announces "Successful Test of New Nuclear Missile"... Possibility of Resuming Nuclear Tests

Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 5th (local time) announced the successful test of the new nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile Burevestnik and issued a warning message that nuclear testing could be resumed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin [Photo by AFP]

According to local media including Sputnik News on the same day, President Putin attended the main session of the international Russian expert meeting 'Valdai International Discussion Club' held in Sochi, southern Russia, and announced the successful final test of the Burevestnik strategic cruise missile.

Earlier, the US daily The New York Times (NYT) raised the possibility that Russia tested the Burevestnik nuclear missile at an Arctic missile base on the 2nd, based on satellite images.

In March 2018, during a state of the nation address, President Putin boasted that the nuclear-capable Burevestnik missile was "a new weapon that guarantees the world's strategic balance" and claimed it could reach anywhere on Earth.

On this day, President Putin also revealed that the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Sarmat system was nearly complete.

Regarding calls to resume nuclear testing, President Putin suggested the possibility of resuming nuclear explosion-related tests, which have not been conducted since 1990, by stating, "In theory, it is possible to withdraw ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty."

He said, "We are not ready to declare whether we will resume testing, but in principle, it is possible to act the same way as the US, which signed the treaty but did not ratify it," adding that the cancellation of ratification depends on the State Duma (lower house).

This is interpreted as targeting the fact that the US signed but never ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996.

However, he dismissed claims that Russia's doctrine should be changed to allow actual use of nuclear weapons, saying, "There is no reason for that," and emphasized, "Nothing today threatens Russia's existence."

He continued, "No sane person would try to use nuclear weapons against Russia," adding, "The moment a missile launch is detected, we will launch hundreds of missiles from sea or land to ensure the enemy cannot survive."

Furthermore, President Putin stated, "We did not start the so-called 'war' in Ukraine. On the contrary, we tried to end it," reiterating the claim that the Ukraine crisis is due to Western hegemonism.

He said that Russia, which has the largest territory in the world, has no need to seize Ukrainian territory, and added, "This conflict is not about imperialism or territory but about the world order."

President Putin criticized the West for being excessively "arrogant" and emphasized that Russia has a mission to create a "new world." He particularly criticized the US for treating the world with a colonial mindset, saying, "The US triggered the Ukraine crisis by supporting the coup in 2014."

President Putin also said that Russia had previously proposed joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but the West ignored it, claiming, "The West always needs an enemy."

He also pointed out that Western countries have always opposed Ukraine's NATO membership because it poses a direct security threat to Russia, but they do not oppose Ukraine's membership in the European Union (EU).

Regarding the war situation, President Putin estimated that Ukraine has lost more than 90,000 troops since launching counterattacks against Russian forces, and predicted that Ukraine's economy will not recover without external assistance. When asked about the end of the special military operation, President Putin replied, "It is a matter of the safety of our people, not territory."

Regarding cooperation with China, he said, "The cooperative efforts between Russia and China are not aimed at anyone," while accusing the West of attempting to expand NATO to the borders of Russia and China. Regarding Japan, he expressed willingness to improve relations, saying, "We are ready to cooperate."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.