NATO, US condemn Russia over boosting nuclear arsenal

(Vatican Radio) The NATO military alliance and the United States have condemned a plan by Russia to increase its nuclear arsenal saying it could further destabilize relations and that the implications are serious and dangerous. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the reinforcement of Russian nuclear forces by dozens of ballistic missiles on Tuesday while opening an arms show west of Moscow. 

Listen to Stefan Bos' report

Putin fired the warning shots after the U.S. said it wants to place heavy weapons in member states of the NATO military alliance along Russia's border. 

He made clear that Russia would be forced to aim its forces at any countries posing a threat and warned that Moscow is beefing up its nuclear arsenal.  “This year, for example, nuclear forces will be joined by more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles that will be able to overcome any, even the most technically advanced, missile defence system,” he said. 

"Equipping the armed forces with modern and efficient weapons remains a key objective of our military construction [program],” Putin stressed. “The implementation of this large-scale state program for the modernization of the military-industrial complex is under our constant and special attention," he added.

HEAVY WEAPONS

Putin spoke shortly after U.S. officials confirmed plans to station tanks and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, where governments fear what they view as Russian aggression. 

The rhetoric on both sides comes amid the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War sparked by the conflict in Ukraine between government and Russian-backed separatists. NATO military commander Philip Breedlove said Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine pose a long-term security challenge for Europe. 

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg criticized Russia's plans to boost its nuclear arsenal. “This nuclear sabre-rattling of Russia is unjustified, it's destabilizing and it’s dangerous,” he said. 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agrees. He has said that Putin’s nuclear stance could be posturing, but warned the possible implications are serious at a time of mounting east-west tensions.